The Tale of Takumi Shimizu
by dicarten-ice
Summary: When Takumi was born, he never would have thought that he would be one of the first Half-Quincy, Half-Soul Reaper, to have the powers of both, not to mention an unnaturally large spiritual pressure he has to keep in check. What happens as he grows up in the Rukongai, and then moves on to the Seireitei? Read to find out! Rated T for action later on.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: hello, readers, and thank you for reading this! Working on this story has gotten me past many a writer's block, so I finally decided to post it! Please, read and review!**

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Chapter 1: The Beginning

My entire life changed when I was five years old. For better or worse, I'm not completely sure anymore.

Oh, sorry about the sudden start, I should at least tell you who I am before getting any further.

My name is Takumi Shimizu, and I'm half Soul Reaper, half Quincy. I have short white hair, like my father's, and blue eyes.

There, that's enough to get you started now. I'll tell you more about myself later in the story. My story, that is.

As I told you earlier, my entire life changed when I was five years old. That's when my mother, a Soul Reaper, and my father, a Quincy, were killed.

They met a couple years before I was born and quickly fell in love, not even knowing that they were supposed to be enemies. My mother was taking a trip to the Rukon District for informal matter, so she was just wearing casual clothes, not even carrying her Zanpakuto. My father had also been in the same area for a while, lying low after a close call with some other Soul Reapers. They first met each other on the streets, and fell in love at first sight. They were married a bit less than a year later, staying in the Rukon District. They once told me that they discovered the truth about each other the day before they were married, but didn't care. That's how in love they were.

After a few months of being married, they realized they wanted something more in their life. They wanted a family. That's where I come in. I was born two years after their marriage. My father stayed with me all the time, but my mother had to frequently leave for the Seireitei to keep up appearances, especially since she was the eighth seat in Squad 2.

Not long after my fifth birthday, though, everything changed.

"Don't worry, Taku, we'll be home soon," my parents told me as they walked out. 'Taku' is one of their nicknames for me.

"Why do you have your Zanpakuto, though?" I asked my mother. She only carried it if she needed to kill a Hollow.

"Don't worry, it's just a small problem in the World of the Living, we'll take care of it," my father assured me. I nodded hesitantly, and they walked out. I waited for them for days, but they never returned. Ten years later, I learned that Mother was called in to help deal with a Menos Grande that appeared, and Father went with her.

As the days passed, I searched the apartment we lived in for something to do. I eventually found a small chain with a cross on it. I had seen Father use it multiple times before, and I had always wanted to use the bow.

"Not until you're old enough, Takumi," he would always tell me when I asked to try.

"One try won't hurt," I whispered to myself when I found it. I had seen the effects of the bow, though, so I packed a small bag and left the apartment for a nearby forest.

"I hope Dad doesn't mind if I use this," I muttered before draping it over my wrist, twisting and repeating so that only the pendant was dangling, just like I had seen him do. I thought back to how he did it. I noticed that his pendant had been glowing slightly, from Spirit Energy as he told me. "Everyone has Spirit Energy inside them," I repeated, quoting his words. "A Quincy gathers Spirit Energy from around him or herself, forming the bow and arrows."

As I remembered the words, I also remembered the time that Mother taught me how to sense and control my own Spirit Energy.

"You have a very large amount of Spirit Energy inside yourself," she told me after I passed out once. "I hope that you never need to use it, but I will teach you how to keep it contained and summon it if you need."

"O-okay," I had said at the time. I thought back on those lessons, using my own Spirit Energy to make the pendant glow.

After a few unsuccessful tries, I finally succeeded, the pendant letting out a bright light as a small bow formed in my hands.

"Whoa, cool," I whispered to myself. I placed my other hand, my right hand, on the energy string and pulled it back. It immediately responded, an arrow forming. I pulled it as far back as I could, aiming it above me and releasing it. The arrow itself was huge, soaring high into the sky before exploding.

"Uh-oh," I said when I heard yelling in the distance. My loss of focus caused the bow to disappear, but I didn't think about that as I took off running toward the city again.

When I actually realized that my parents are dead, I did almost nothing. I simply sat in the living room of the apartment, staring across the room at a picture on a table of the three of us. Many people would've freaked out or just not accepted, but I was just frozen, not able to move in shock.

After a while, though, there came a knock at the front door.

"Open up! I'm here to collect the rent!" a voice yelled from the other side of the door. He sounded angry.

That voice was what I needed. It snapped me out of my state and I got up, walking to the door stiffly. I opened it and saw a very large, very angry man.

"Hey, kid, where are your parents?" he demanded, looking down at me. "Your rent's due."

I looked up at him and sniffled, the first tears beginning to appear. "They're gone, probably dead," I told him.

He softened up slightly and crouched down. "I'm sorry, kid," he replied, placing a hand on my shoulder. "I'm very sorry, but if there's no one else living here, I'll need you to leave. Other people need a place to live, too," he said.

I sniffled and nodded slowly. "Listen, kid, I'll give you a break," he added. I looked up at him. "I'll give you a week to find somewhere else to live and take anything you want with you," he told me. "Do you know how long a week is?" he asked me.

"Seven days," I muttered, holding up the appropriate amount of fingers.

"Good. I'll give you that long to pack your things and leave, okay?" he asked. I nodded. "Kay. I really am sorry, kid," he added before standing and walking away.

After that, I closed the door and sniffled again, wiping my nose on my sleeve and looking around. There was dust covering everything, but I knew it all by sight.

"Pull yourself together, Takumi," I told myself, walking to the middle of the room. "Neither Mother nor Father would want to see you giving up." I didn't know where this sudden maturity was coming from, but I was going to take advantage of it. I grabbed a bag, packed it with clothes, food, and water, and walked out. I hadn't felt hunger since the day I experimented with Father's pendant, but I made sure to carry food nonetheless.

"Which way, though?" I asked myself when I got outside.

"Hey, Takumi!" one of the neighbors said when she saw me. "How're you doing? Where are your parents?"

"I'm fine. My parents are away on business," I replied, making up the lie randomly.

She nodded. "Well, if you need anything, just let me know," she told me.

"Thanks," I said. I wouldn't take her up on that offer, though. I didn't want to put anybody out of their way to help me. I was raised to be gracious, caring, and independent, and I was going to be just that.

She turned away to talk to someone else, and I decided to go in the opposite direction of where she was looking so that she wouldn't see me leaving.

Once I was sure she was out of sight I began looking around for anywhere I could stay, but I couldn't find anywhere. By the end of the fifth day I hadn't found a place, so I sprinted home. As it turned out, I had almost completely walked around the Seireitei, the home of the Soul Reapers, so it only took me a day to get back home.

Once I arrived I spent the remaining day sorting through what I would need to keep with me. I found two more pendants hidden underneath their bed, one of which I draped around my neck and the other I wrapped around my other wrist. I grabbed a couple pictures of our family, and burned the rest so that nobody else could have them. I took any money hidden in the house and put anything else I would need in a simple bag I slung over my shoulder. All of the money was in a pouch strapped around my chest to make sure it couldn't be stolen as easily.

"Well, it looks like this is the last time I'll see the place," I told myself when I was finished packing. I walked out, and the person that owns the house was waiting.

"I'm sorry, kid, this is just how things happen," he told me again as I gave him the keys, which I found hidden in a drawer.

"My name's Takumi," I told him before walking away. I didn't know where I was going, and I didn't care. I just needed to keep moving forward.

I wandered like this for five more years. I made sure, though, to go to a forest at least once a week and practice controlling my Spirit Energy. Despite this, though, my Energy just grew as I practiced more. After two years of this I had fair control of my Spirit Energy, but if I overexerted myself I would lose control of my Spirit Energy and I would blackout for an hour or so, but it was becoming less and less often over time. I had an incident after about three years on my own, though, that got interesting.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Three Years Later...

I had been wandering through the Northern Rukon area, one of my favorite areas, when I heard shouts in the distance. My curiosity got the best of me, so I followed the noises until I saw two kids running from a large man, and I could see why.

One of the kids was carrying a large pot of candy, and the other had a jug of water, obviously stolen. They looked to be a couple years older than me, and I could feel slight spiritual pressure coming from them, but not enough to show that they knew about what they could do.

"Out of the way!" one of them, a boy with bright red hair, screamed as he came running at me. I jumped over him and barely cleared the head of the other one, a girl with medium-length black hair. Once my feet were on solid ground I had a split second before the large adult was upon me, and in that time I planted my feet and focused my strength into a solid stance. He would've plowed right over me if I hadn't crouched down low, using his speed to launch him over my shoulder.

"YOU!" he screamed when he saw me. I'm a common visitor at his stall, occasionally stealing a jug of water or food after practicing.

"Uh oh," I muttered, running after the others. "Hey, wait up!" I shouted after them. I knew it was possible to use Spirit Energy to increase your speed, but I had no idea how to do it yet.

They looked behind them and must have seen what I did, because they slowed down enough for me to catch up. After that, we ran for several more blocks before arriving at a warehouse, where several others were waiting.

"Renji, Rukia, did you guys get it?" one of them asked the two kids I followed.

"Yeah, but we would've been caught if it weren't for him," the girl, Rukia, told them as she pointed to me.

"Awesome! What's your name?" one of them asked me. I couldn't reply, though, because I was panting for breath and focusing on keeping my energy in check. I didn't want to pass out in front of a bunch of strangers.

"Whoa, are you okay?" the boy, Renji, asked me.

"Fine…just…out of…breath," I panted. I spent about a minute longer catching my breath before straightening up and examining them. They were all taller than me and could probably take me down if they ganged together. "Sorry about that, I'm Takumi, Takumi Shimizu," I added.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Renji," Renji said to me. He introduced me to everyone else before dividing the candy and water among the group, handing me a bit at the end.

"What's this for?" I asked them, confused.

"It's your share," Rukia told me. "You helped us, so you get a share of it."

I shook my head. "No, thanks," I replied. "Keep it for yourself."

She shook her head and held it out again. "No, I insist, keep it," she repeated.

I sighed and nodded. "Okay," I said, accepting it from her. I ate the candy slowly as I sat down away from the others. Once I finished it and drank my cup of water I set the cup beside them and turned to walk out.

"Wait, where are you going?" Rukia asked me when she noticed me.

"Nowhere in particular, just wandering," I replied.

"Well, how long have you been wandering, Takumi?" she asked me.

"Um…" I thought back to the very first day I began. "Three years today," I said, making sure I was correct.

"Wow, three years?" she said. I nodded. "Why haven't you just stopped somewhere and stayed there?"

I shrugged. "I just haven't stopped. I'll stay in a place for a week or so, but I always move on. I even have the entire Rukon District mapped out, although it took me a while to put together," I told her, holding out the several pieces of paper that make up my map.

"Well, how about you at least stay with us for a week, then?" she asked me.

I looked at her and the rest of the group, and shook my head. "Sorry, no. I need to keep moving," I said simply. I didn't listen to them after that, I just walked out.

"Wait, is that all you're going to say?" Rukia demanded, grabbing my arm.

"Yes," I whispered, releasing some of my spiritual pressure. It's great for warding off thieves.

Rukia and Renji staggered back several steps, but the others didn't even budge, probably because they couldn't sense it.

"I'll be going, now," I added before continuing out of the building. I resumed my wandering after that, and didn't see Renji or Rukia for many more years.

I continued on my path, wandering everywhere I could in the Rukon District. I completed my map the next year, marking down every place I knew I could stay if I needed to once I was done. My life changed drastically again, another year later, when I met Koharu Yamada.

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**A/N: Hello, readers! Well, as planned, here's another chapter! Sorry it's short, I wasn't in a very productive mood when I wrote this chapter. Anyway, enjoy! Oh, and please leave a review!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Koharu

It was actually only a couple days after my tenth birthday. I was in the southern region of the Rukon District, only a few hours after I trained, when I saw a large crowd gathered.

"What's going on here?" I asked a nearby person when I arrived at the crowd.

"There's a Soul Reaper visiting a friend," he told me. I worked my way through the crowd and easily got to the front just as the door to the house we were gathered around opened and a woman walked out. She had long brown hair that reached at least halfway down her back, and blue eyes that shone in the light.

"Hello, hello," she said when she saw us. She wasn't dressed like a Soul Reaper, and wasn't carrying her Zanpakuto, but I could feel her Spiritual Energy.

We all waved to her as she walked among us, greeting some by name.

"H-Hello," I said shyly as she walked by me. I usually don't act like that, but her spiritual pressure was impressive.

She paused and turned toward me, looking me up and down. She examined me for a few more seconds, though, probably reading my Spirit Energy as I began to feel lightheaded.

Oh, not now, I thought to myself. Despite how much my control over my energy grows, I still have moments where I blackout for an hour or so.

She crouched down in front of me. "Are you okay, little one?" she asked me. I could barely hear her, though, because my vision began swirling and I collapsed at her feet.

When I woke again, almost two hours later instead of the usual one, I was in a completely unfamiliar place. Everything was a lighter color, mainly a pale pink color. I was lying on a comfortable bed, and a thin blanket was draped over my chest.

"Oh, you're awake!" I heard the woman from before say as she rushed over to me.

"W-where am I?" I asked her. I looked around and saw that the room was pretty basic, but very nice. Everything was spotless, not a single speck of dust anywhere.

"You're at the Squad Four barracks," she told me gently. "When you collapsed earlier, I took you here so that we could help you. You have an unnaturally high level of Spirit Energy, and even though it appears that you have developed control over it, you cannot stop it from rushing out occasionally, which caused your blackout. The Captain herself has suggested you stay here until you can best control your energy. She believes that the best solution, though, is that you become a Shinigami once you are old enough."

"What?" I muttered, barely conscious enough to hear her. That's when I noticed that my pendants were missing.

"Don't worry, they're right here," she told me when she realized what I was thinking, holding out a small box. "Those devices seemed to only help you amplify your power, so we had to remove them to help you."

I nodded and took the box, putting the pendants over my wrists and around my neck.

"Child, what is your name?" she asked me.

"Takumi," I replied, rubbing sleep out of my eyes. "Takumi Shimizu."

Her eyes widened, shock written clearly across her face. "Shimizu…" she whispered to herself. "It can't be…"

"Did you know my mother?" I asked her. We kept my mother's last name instead of my father's.

She nodded slowly before looking closer at me. "Your mother and I were best friends when we were your age. We even grew up in the Rukon District, not far from where I found you," she explained. "We both entered in the exam to join the Soul Reapers. We were accepted, and we graduated five years later instead of the usual six. After that, though, we began to drift apart. I joined Squad Four and she joined Squad Two, and even though we tried to stay connected, our responsibilities kept us apart for a long time. The last time I saw her was fifteen years ago, roughly thirty years after we met. That was when I had to treat an injury from a Hollow encounter. Since then, I haven't seen her. When I learned that she was killed, I regretted not being able to see her again and have one more cup of tea."

I nodded. I had never met any of my parents' friends before. "So, I'll be staying with you?" I asked her.

She nodded. "Yes, unless you want to stay someplace else," she replied.

I looked around and shrugged. "Well, I don't really know any other Soul Reapers, so I guess I'll stay here," I told her.

She smiled slightly. "Good. I'll discuss with my Captain about new living quarters so that you may stay with me, and you'll probably need new clothes, too," she said. "The ones you have are very ragged and old."

I hesitated, but nodded again. "Okay," I replied, looking at my ragged clothing, which was laid out on the floor beside me. At the time I was wearing a thin white robe and simple undergarments.

She smiled more and sat down on the edge of the bed beside me. "I'll introduce myself more, now that you're fully awake," she told me. "My name is Koharu Yamada, and I am the Shinigami that holds the fourth seat in Squad Four," she said. "The moment I heard of Squad Four I knew I wanted to join them."

"Nice to meet you," I replied. "I'm Takumi Shimizu. I've been on my own for five years, so I'm pretty independent. I don't like depending on others, but I enjoy helping other people in trouble. From a very young age, my mother taught me how to better control my spiritual energy."

She nodded. "Nice to meet you, too, Takumi," she said. She looked ready to say something else when my stomach gurgled loudly.

I laughed. "Sorry, I've never really been this hungry before," I told her. "I must have let out too much energy."

She laughed lightly. "It's no problem, it's only natural to be hungry here," she assured me. She walked away for a minute, and when she returned she was carrying a tray laden with food and a couple cups of tea.

Seeing the food, my stomach growled lightly.

"Please, help yourself," she told me, setting the tray in front of me. I hesitated, but once she assured me it was okay, I devoured the entire thing. "Wow, you sure are hungry," she added when I finished. I smiled, embarrassed, but she simply smiled and lifted a cup of tea, and I did the same.

"What's a Quincy?" I asked her suddenly between sips. I never really knew what they were, only that my father was one. She coughed, choking on her tea. "Whoa, are you okay?" I asked her.

She coughed for a few more seconds, then calmed down, straightening. "Yes, I am fine," she replied. "I have just not heard that name in a long time," she added. "A Quincy is a spiritually aware human, able to sense Hollows. They shape the Spirit Energy in the area around them into weapons, usually bows. They use these weapons to kill Hollows, similar to a Soul Reaper, but unlike a Soul Reaper, a Quincy does not purify a Hollow's soul. A Quincy completely destroys it, soul and body. Why do you ask?"

I froze. "Um…I heard my mother say the term once, and I was curious," I told her. It was partially the truth; my mother had spoken the term before. I didn't know Quincies took the energy around them, though. I always created the bow and arrows with my own Spirit Energy.

She raised an eyebrow at me, but nodded. "Okay…" she said. She didn't look fully convinced, but dropped the issue.

After a few minutes of awkward silences she stood up again. "Well, I need to leave to talk with my Captain," she told me. "Please make sure not to leave. There are books in this room," she said, pointing to the room she walked in from, "and if you are hungry, there is also food in my room. If you need something, please wait until I return."

"Um, okay," I said. She looked at me for a few more seconds before nodding and walking out.

I stayed in that bed for about ten more minutes before getting bored and slowly getting up, tightening the robe I was wearing, even though I was wearing undergarments, and walking slowly to the second room, opening the door. It mainly consisted of a large bookcase and an area to prepare food.

"Too bad I can't read," I muttered, looking at the books. I knew a bit, but not enough to read an entire book.

I looked at the bookcase for a few more seconds before sighing and grabbing the smallest book there and returning to the bed, opening the book to the first page and slowly reading it. Some of the words took me a while to figure out the meaning of, and several hours went by before I needed to use the bathroom.

"You'd think a place this nice would at least have a bathroom," I muttered as I searched the entire area.

No bathroom.

"Looks like I'll have to go exploring to find a bathroom," I told myself, slipping on my shoes and slowly walking toward the door.

When I reached it I cracked the door open wide enough for me to look outside, which I did. I saw a long hallway that extended in both directions, and about two hundred feet to my right was the bathroom.

"There it is," I whispered to myself. I didn't hear anybody coming, so I walked out, closed the door behind me, and dashed the distance as quickly as I could, jumping inside as I heard voices approaching. I went to an empty stall and closed the door behind me.

As I used the bathroom I heard the voices draw nearer.

"Hey, Hanataro!" one of the voices called.

"Yeah?" the other one, Hanataro, replied.

"A few of us are going over to a party at Tenth's barracks with Lieutenant Matsumoto, do you wanna come?" he asked Hanataro.

"No, thank you," Hanataro said. "Lieutenant Matsumoto's parties always turn into a lot of drinking. Besides, my sister sent me to look in on a small boy that she's taking care of."

I froze as I washed my hands.

"Uh oh," I mumbled. I slowly moved to the door as I heard Hanataro walk to Koharu's room. I listened as the door opened.

"Hello?" he called. "Little boy? Where are you?" he added, immediately starting to panic when he didn't see me.

Hesitantly, I slowly opened the bathroom door and peeked out. Nobody was around anymore, so I ran down the hallway to the room, slowly looking in.

"Hello? Where are you?" Hanataro continued to request as he looked everywhere. He's not very tall, maybe five feet, and has medium-length black hair and blue eyes, just like Koharu's.

"Um, hi?" I said. He spun around and sighed in relief when he saw me, rushing to my side.

"Ah, you must be the child Koharu brought here from the Rukongai," he said, patting my head gently. "I'm Hanataro, the Seventh Seat of Fourth Squad. What is your name?" he asked me.

"Takumi Shimizu," I replied, swatting his hand away. I hate it when people treat me like a child.

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**A/N: Hello again, readers! Here's my daily update! Well, it seems Takumi has made a couple friends from Squad Four!**

**As usual, please leave a review below!  
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, only my own characters**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Hanataro

"So, you're also a Soul Reaper?" I asked him.

He nodded.

"Where's your Zanpakuto, then?" I asked.

He laughed lightly and sat down. "I don't carry it," he explained. "Very few members of the Fourth Squad actually carry their Zanpakuto, the top five seats being the exception."

"Oh," I said simply, sitting beside him.

He nodded. "Yep. I'm also Koharu's younger brother. It's kind of a family tradition, being part of Squad Four," he added.

"Cool," I replied. "Why are you here?"

"Koharu asked me to check on you every once in a while to make sure you're doing okay," he explained. "Where were you earlier?"

"I had to use the bathroom," I told him. "I know she told me not to leave, but I really had to go."

He smiled sincerely. "Don't worry, it's fine," he assured me. "So, what's your story?" he asked me.

"My mother was a Soul Reaper. Both of my parents died when I was five years old, and since then I grew up by myself on the streets in the Rukon District," I explained. "I have very high Spirit Energy, and even though I can control it with basic proficiency, I blackout sometimes, and I did so a couple hours ago in front of Koharu. After that she brought me here and apparently had the Captain check on me. According to them, I need to stay here until I better control my spiritual energy. They think it would be best, though, if I eventually become a Soul Reaper."

He nodded. "Interesting," he said simply.

Over the next few hours we talked more until Koharu arrived.

"Ah, there you are, Hanataro," she said as she walked in. "I was wondering why you hadn't returned."

He stood quickly. "Sorry, I was talking with Takumi," he explained. "He's a nice kid."

She smiled and nodded. "Okay," she replied before turning to me. "Captain Unohana has granted me permission to move into a small home not far from here, still connected to the barracks by a small path. I suggest we leave now so that we may familiarize ourselves with the home."

"Uh, okay," I said. She packed all of her things into a few bags, Hanataro and I helping her, until we had it all packed away into several bags. I offered to carry some of it, but all that she'd let me carry was the bag I always have, and even then Hanataro carried it half of the way.

"We don't want you to blackout again," he explained when he took it from me, although he looked like he was about to collapse from the weight.

"I'll be fine, I've recovered from worse," I told him. I had, too, after a couple fights with other kids that wanted to mess with me, but couldn't sense spiritual pressure. Because of that, it would always turn into a fight unless I could scare them away with my Quincy powers.

Hanataro kept insisting he carry my things, though, so I sighed and nodded.

We arrived at the house a few minutes later. It's about the size of an average home in the Rukon District, but is surrounded by numerous bellflowers, the Fourth Squad's symbol, and has a cherry tree casting shade over it, still covered in blossoms. There were also several dozen bamboo shoots behind the house for some reason.

"It's beautiful," Hanataro whispered to himself as we walked in. It had a fundamentalist design, no more than the necessities, and had two bathrooms, an office, a kitchen, a bathroom, and a living area.

"It's nice," Koharu agreed. "When the Fourth Squad Barracks were initially built, this was intended to be the Captain's Quarters, but Captain Unohana wanted to be closer to everyone else, so this place has never been used."

"Cool," I said simply. "So, which room is mine?" I asked her.

She looked at me, then around the house. "Hm…I'll let you choose," she told me.

"Okay…" I walked around the house, looking into the two rooms. One was slightly smaller than the other, but not by much. "I'll take this one," I said, pointing to the smaller one.

"Are you sure you don't want the larger one?" she asked me. "It'll give you more space."

I laughed lightly, which seemed to greatly confuse them. "I've spent the last five years of my life out on the streets, where if you don't want to lose something, you keep it within a foot of you. This is the most space I've had in a while," I explained to them, taking my bag from Hanataro and tossing it onto the bed. I helped them unpack most of Koharu's things until there was a knock at the front door.

"Takumi, could you get that?" she asked me.

"Um, sure," I replied, surprised by how much she already trusted me after less than a day. I went to the door and saw the shadow of a woman before opening it. The woman that was standing there looked to be a couple inches taller than Hanataro, had blue eyes and long black hair, and was wearing a standard Soul Reaper uniform other than a simple white jacket that covered her entire body. Her long hair was in a braid that was in front of her neck, although I could see the edge of a scar above it.

"Who are you?" I asked her.

She smiled faintly at me. "I see you've arrived here and are fully conscious," she told me. There was silence behind me for a few seconds before Koharu and Hanataro were standing between us, bowing.

"Who is she?" I asked them.

"I am the Captain of Fourth Squad, Retsu Unohana," the woman told me. I froze and bowed to her too, realizing how casual I was acting.

"Captain, he woke up roughly five hours ago," Koharu told her. "His name is Takumi Shimizu."

Unohana looked at me again. "Would you happen to be of any relation to the former eighth seat of Second Squad, who also had the same last name?" she asked me.

I nodded. "She was my mother," I told her. Her eyes widened slightly before nodding.

"I have come to see if you have moved in and find the home to your preferences," she told Koharu.

"We have, thank you," Koharu replied. "Thank you again for allowing us to live here."

Unohana nodded. "Of course. Takumi is very special."

"Um, thanks?" I said, unsure if it was a compliment or simply an observation.

"Well, I must be going. The monthly Captain's meeting is in an hour," Unohana told us. She nodded to each of us before walking out.

"Well, she's…nice," I stated, closing the door.

"She is," Hanataro agreed.

"Come, let us finish unpacking," Koharu told us. We nodded and helped her unpack her things.

"Takumi, can you unpack the books?" she asked me an hour later. "I prefer them to be alphabetized by author."

"Um…" I began, looking at the authors' names. All of them were unfamiliar to me, and I couldn't make sense of them.

"Are you okay?" Hanataro asked me.

"I can understand them," I muttered quietly, just loud enough for them to hear.

"It's okay, that's nothing to be ashamed of," he assured me, sitting by my side and pulling over a stack of books. "I'll help you," he added, pulling out the first one.

I smiled and nodded, encouraged by his cheerful attitude. We went over all the titles and names. He'd have me read it out loud, and if I didn't understand it, he would sound out the name and have me do the same, repeating it over and over until I knew it. Before long, I was able to read completely new names using parts of past names.

"What's this one?" I asked him when I reached a completely unfamiliar one.

"The name of this author is Kisuke Urahara," he told me, speaking the name very slowly.

"Kisuke Urahara," I repeated. "Who was he?"

"He used to be the Captain of Squad Twelve," Koharu told me.

"Used to be?" I asked her.

She nodded. "He was exiled from the Soul Society roughly fifty years ago," she explained. "His research is still famous, though."

"Oh," I replied.

We finished unpacking another hour later, so we went to the eating area for Fourth Squad after getting new clothes for me.

"Do I have to wear this stuff?" I asked her as I tried on the clothing. It felt really formal compared to my street clothes.

"Yes, you do," she replied. The clothes were similar to Soul Reaper clothing, except that instead of the black robe, it was blue. "You need to look representable here, this isn't the Rukongai."

"Okay, okay," I muttered, loosening the underclothes. They felt really tight.

"Let's go get some dinner," she told me after she had bought several new outfits for me and we had taken them back to the house.

"Sure," I replied. We left and walked through the barracks until we reached a large room full of people eating or getting food from a long table against one wall.

"Just follow me, and don't look at anybody," she told me as we walked to the table.

As we went, I could feel the spiritual pressure coming off of various people. It was starting to give me a light headache, so I exerted a bit of my own pressure to push it off of myself, although that just drew looks from people. I just ignored the looks, though, as we went through the line and got our food.

"You're not bad at controlling your spiritual pressure," Koharu commented as we sat down at a table.

"Thanks, it helps when dealing with bullies on the streets," I replied. "If the people can't sense spiritual pressure, though, it's kinda pointless."

She nodded. "How strong can your pressure become?" she asked me between bites.

I grinned. "Wanna find out now?" I asked her.

She raised an eyebrow. "Sure, why not?" she replied.

I grinned wider. "Make sure to hold onto something, then," I told her before letting go of all my barriers and letting out all of my spiritual pressure and everyone in the room almost collapsed.

"Not bad, not bad at all," a voice behind me said before another spiritual pressure, almost as large, appeared.

I immediately reigned in my power and looked behind me to see one of the strangest-looking people I've ever laid my eyes on.

"Takumi, this is Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi of the Twelfth Division," Koharu told me, gesturing to him. He was wearing a strange hat, and his entire body was painted black and white, with golden-colored eyes and strange golden conical things instead of ears. "Captain Kurotsuchi, this is Takumi Shimizu," she added, talking to the Captain.

"Yes, I have heard about him," Kurotsuchi replied, looking at me. "I sensed something…familiar…about him, so I came to visit and meet him myself. I must say, this is very different from any of my findings in the past."

"Well, you're different from anyone I've encountered in the past, too," I told him, slightly surprised. Did he sense my Quincy powers?

He glared at me for a few more seconds, looking at me like a research specimen, before looking back at Koharu. "So, Unohana gave permission for the boy to live with you?" he asked her.

She nodded. "That's correct," she said. "The boy is under the protection of Squad Four."

His upper lip rose slightly in a scowl, but nodded and walked away, a woman close behind him. She must be his lieutenant.

"He's weird," I commented before taking a large bite out of my chicken drumstick as everyone recovered from the spiritual pressure.

"Don't insult a Captain. Ever," she told me. "It may just be the last thing you ever do."

I shrugged. "I'll survive," I replied. She just rolled her eyes and continued eating.

Over the next few days Koharu helped me adjust to living in the Seireitei, showing me how to get to any building I might need to find. She also helped me learn how to read more before giving me a thick dictionary in case I found I word I didn't know.

"Remember, if you need anything, just release some Spirit Energy and I will be here as fast as I can," she reminded me the day she returned to duty.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be fine," I told her. She just smiled and messed up my hair before walking out.

After she left I grabbed a book to read, but couldn't concentrate, so I walked out of the house and climbed the cherry tree. Ever since I saw it, I wanted to climb it. I easily jumped to the low-hanging branches, and from there climbed up more and more until I was at the top of the tree, which was a foot higher than the edge of the roof. The branch was only a couple feet away from the roof, so I made sure I could maintain my balance, bent my legs, and leaped, getting just enough momentum to land on the roof and grab onto the tiles, keeping just enough friction to keep myself from falling off.

"I've definitely never climbed a roof like this," I told myself as I dried my hands and slowly climbed the roof, which was very slick.

After almost ten minutes, and several near falls, I got to the peak of the roof, which stood several feet above the rest, so I sat there and looked around at the surrounding buildings. I stayed there for well over an hour, using a sash securing my jacket to give me a better grip as I laid on the roof, looking up at the clouds.

"I should probably get down before someone comes and freaks out," I told myself after ninety minutes up there. I pulled my jacket back on and tied the sash around my waist as I used a gutter to get down to the ground, landing safely on the ground without a scratch. Stargazing in the Rukon District while on rooftops has really helped me with my climbing, especially when I have to run across them when people yell at me for being on their roof.

"How was your day?" Koharu asked me when she got back to the house later in the day.

"Boring. Yours?" I replied.

She shrugged. "Not bad," she said.

The next year went by like this, me spending my day reading or climbing the roofs as she works. By doing this, I actually explored most of the Seireitei, although I'd get caught occasionally by Squad Nine patrols. They'd just call Koharu and she'd escort me back to the house, lecturing me about the dangers of running on rooftops. The next day, I would be back on the rooftops. By getting caught various times, I would be able to mentally map out patrol routes so that I could completely avoid them, which becomes very useful at times when I'm spotted by one I don't have mapped out.

Anyways, things changed for me again a year later.

* * *

**A/N: Hello again, readers! Well, here's chapter four!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or its characters, only my characters.**

**Please, leave a review below!**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: One Year Later...

This particular event happened over several days, while Koharu had to travel outside the Seireitei for an important matter. I hadn't had a chance to practice with my Quincy powers since before I arrived in the Seireitei, so I was going to use the chance to leave and practice.

"Don't worry, I'll only be away for three days, four at the most," she assured me before she left. "If you need anything, don't forget you can go to Hanataro for help, and please, stay off the rooftops. The last time they caught you, Captain Tosen personally told me that next time, he will chase you down himself."

"Yeah, yeah, that just means that next time I won't let them catch me," I told her.

"I'm serious, Takumi, stay out of trouble," she said.

I grinned. "You know I'm no good at that," I reminded her.

She laughed lightly. "Yeah, I know. Still, at least try to stay out of trouble," she replied.

I laughed. "Okay, I'll try," I said.

She smiled and nodded. "Okay, I'll be leaving now," she replied, hugging me and walking out. Over that single year we've become like family.

Once I was sure she was gone, I ran into my room and pulled out my bag, the one that I had when I arrived at the Seireitei. I had been planning for that trip ever since I heard that Koharu had to leave. For the trip, I would be leaving the Seireitei and going to a field outside the main Rukon District, a place I used to go to frequently to train.

When I was fully packed and had food for when I finish training, I pulled on my filthiest and most ragged clothes and set off across the rooftops to avoid any people. Spending hours on end being pursued by patrol squads has also helped me become faster and I've learned the very basics of Shunpo by watching others do it, but not even close to enough for me to cover as large distances as them. I used this to my advantage that day, avoiding all patrols and somehow avoiding Captain Tosen, who was guarding the Northern Entrance that day. That was the entrance I needed unless I wanted to have to run several miles out of my way to avoid him. I just did my best to mask my spiritual presence and ran as quickly and quietly as I could. The most he did was turn in my direction, but didn't do anything else.

"That was too close," I told myself as I ran across the rooftops in the Rukongai. I wasn't running at my fastest to make sure I didn't want to tire myself out, so people were frequently looking up and yelling at me as I ran across the rooftops. I'd just ignore them, though, and continue, not stopping until I reached the field I practice in.

"I wonder where Koharu is right now…" I said to myself as I created my bow, making sure to regulate the energy flowing through it as I drew back my first arrow, taking careful aim at a branch across the field.

I was right about to release the arrow when I heard a gasp and a familiar voice call my name.

"Takumi?" Koharu gasped, not even ten feet away.

I jumped slightly, accidentally releasing the arrow so that it missed the mark by a dozen feet. I turned, and saw that Koharu was looking at me, eyes full of shock.

"Oops," I stated, surprised by her sudden appearance.

Thirty minutes ago, Koharu's POV…

I smiled as I walked out of the house and through the barracks to leave the Seireitei. It was my first mission outside of the Seireitei since I met Takumi, and I was a bit anxious about leaving him alone, especially with his habit of getting into trouble with Squad Nine patrol squads.

"Next time, I will hunt him down myself," Captain Tosen had told me last time he was caught. He had become very impatient with Takumi, especially once he learned how to mimic flashstep.

"Yes, sir," I replied, bowing deeply before escorting Takumi back to the house.

"I don't get why he's so angry with me," Takumi muttered as we walked.

I sighed, as usual. "Takumi, he's angry because what you do disturbs the patrols, which keep us safe from intruders," I explained to him.

"Oh? And when was the last time someone tried to break into the Seireitei?" he asked me.

I laughed lightly. "Good point. Still, you need to listen to them. The next time I find out about you running across the rooftops, you'll be grounded to your room for a week," I told him.

He just nodded and said nothing.

Anyway, back to the present. I was assigned to lead a group on a trip north to where several Shinigami are stationed to help keep the peace further out. Apparently, one of them somehow got severely injured (probably just clumsy with his Zanpakuto), so he needs to be healed.

Our squad left soon after, and I sensed a familiar energy traveling over the rooftops.

_Takumi…_ I thought to myself, wondering if he would be caught. If he were, he'd have to wait until I return. He may have been able to escape capture in the Rukon District, but Soul Reapers are a lot more difficult to escape from.

As our group traveled through the Rukon District, I sensed his energy a couple more times on the rooftops a few hundred yards to our right, going in the same directions as us. We weren't running, though, so he soon pulled ahead, although I could still faintly sense his slight spiritual pressure, despite his obvious attempts to conceal it.

"He probably wanted to go see some of the places he used to visit," I assured myself, increasing the pace.

We continued to go north for another twenty minutes until we reached the forest we had to pass through, when I felt Takumi's energy spike, surprisingly not even half a mile away.

"Takumi!" I whispered, sprinting toward his location. His energy wasn't at its highest, but it was spiking more than when I had seen him use Shunpo for the first time. This particular energy surge also felt different from anything I felt from him, which was also why I was so worried.

I found him ten seconds later, when I nearly had a heart attack from the shock of seeing Takumi with a Quincy Bow, arrow drawn back.

I gasped, causing him to jump slightly, accidentally releasing the arrow into space as he turned toward me. "Takumi?" I gasped as I saw recognition in his eyes.

"Oops," he said, just as I surprised as I was. The bow flickered as his concentration wavered, and he glanced at it, dismissing it before looking back at me.

"Takumi, you're a…?" I whispered, realization dawning on me.

"Um…yeah," he replied simply, reigning his energy in until he was practically undetectable.

How? I asked myself. How could Takumi be a Quincy?

Looking back on it now, I guess it makes sense. The day I brought Takumi to the Seireitei, Captain Kurotsuchi himself visited him and commented on how he felt familiar, but different. He has done research on over two thousand Quincies; it would be simple for him to sense one's spiritual energy, although it would have been different from anything before because he is also part-Shinigami.

"Koharu? You okay?" he asked me, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Yeah, fine," I replied. "How long have you…"

He shrugged. "Since a few days after my parents died, I guess," he said. "That's when I first accessed my Quincy powers."

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked him.

"I didn't know if I could trust you with that secret," he replied. "I knew I could trust you with a ton of stuff after you took me in, but considering that the Quincies and Soul Reapers are supposed to be mortal enemies, I wanted to make sure I could trust you with anything before telling you about my closest secret."

I took a deep breath and sighed, looking at his pendants again. The first time I saw them, I thought they had looked familiar, and now I know why. During my time at the Academy, I read a book about the Quincy, and saw drawings of the pendants they use to channel their power. Takumi's pendants are identical to them.

"Nobody can know about this," I said finally as he looked to be on the verge of freaking out. "This will stay between the two of us. Only use this power in life or death situations. I will help you more to control your spiritual energy."

He nodded, surprised by my sudden calmness. "Yeah, sure," he said.

I nodded. "I'll have one of my men accompany you back to the Seireitei. You will wait there and not get in trouble until I get back. I'll make sure to have Hanataro look after you," I told him before calling for the others to come to us. They arrived in seconds, stopping a few feet away.

"Harunobu, I need you to escort Takumi back to my home in the Seireitei," I told the Soul Reaper in the middle, a man with brown hair and brown eyes. "Make sure he stays there, then give Hanataro this letter," I added, writing a short and simple letter asking him to look after Takumi.

Harunobu nodded, accepting the letter. "Of course," he replied before placing a hand on Takumi's shoulder and leading him away. "Let's go, Takumi," he added before he picked up Takumi and took off, using flashstep to traverse the distance in only a few seconds.

After that, we continued on our journey north, although we increased the pace slightly. We arrived at the place only a day later, and the two Soul Reapers there, both from Squad Eleven, were waiting impatiently for us.

"'Bout took you long enough," the injured one grumble when he saw us. He has a cut running the length of his leg, but it wasn't severe. "You guys must be really slow."

I frowned at him slightly and dashed toward him, dragging him to a room to take care of his wounds. "You know, you should really have more respect toward us, as we look after your wounds when you decide to goof around," I snapped, impatient that I couldn't return to the Seireitei sooner.

"Hey, I wasn't goof—" he began, but I cut him off.

"You were injured practicing with the other Squad Eleven member you're stuck here with," I told him. The wound had come from the right angle that it most likely resulted from a foolish blow that missed and hit him in the leg.

His mouth snapped shut, settling for a simmering glare as I used a quick healing Kido. "No muscles were cut, and no blood vessels were damaged, so you should be fine in a day, and make sure to stay off of it for a while," I told him, binding it. "Is there anything else?" I asked him.

He shook his head slowly. "No, ma'am. Thank you, ma'am," he mumbled.

I nodded. "Goodbye, then," I added before walking out.

"How bad was it?" one of the others in the group asked me.

"A simple bandage would've been fine," I replied unhappily. The one thing I hate more than anything else is when another squad messes with us. "That's Squad Eleven for you, though."

They nodded and we took off for the Seireitei.

"Let's not waste any time," I told them after a few minutes. They nodded so we went even faster, using Shunpo to cut the time from a day to ten minutes.

Takumi's POV…

"I can't believe you're actually carrying me," I groaned as the guy carried me back to the Seireitei.

"Koharu wants me to make sure you don't try to escape, and this is the fastest way back," he explained briefly.

"Yeah, yeah. You're just lucky I'm not good with Shunpo. Yet," I growled at him. He laughed lightly and jumped across rooftops, arriving at the northern gate in only a minute or two, darting up the stairs and past Captain Tosen.

"Harunobu, why did you leave your group?" Captain Tosen asked him as we passed by.

Harunobu froze, and I silently cursed my luck. Tosen isn't my biggest fan. "I was sent back by Koharu to return the boy, Takumi, to their home," he explained simply.

Tosen nodded and walked up to us, or more specific, me. "I thought I sensed an odd sensation earlier," he told me. "You have become much better at disguising your energy, although I will be prepared next time."

I gulped and nodded. "Um, sure."

Tosen looked back at Harunobu. "You may continue," he told him.

Harunobu nodded. "Yes, sir," he replied before continuing.

"You can set me down now," I snapped at him when we arrived at the house.

"Oh, right," he said, setting me down in the main room. "I am going to find Hanataro Yamada, wait here," he told me.

I nodded and returned to my room, removing my backpack and placing it beneath the bed, leaning against the back of the bed and opening a new book that was a birthday present from Koharu. I had probably reached the third page before Hanataro came racing in.

"Takumi! Where are you?" he requested.

"In here, Hanataro!" I yelled, not looking up from the book.

I heard a faint sigh of relief as he opened the door and walked in. "Why, Takumi?" he asked me. "Why did you leave the Seireitei?"

I shrugged. "I wanted to see some old places. What did Koharu tell you?" I asked him.

He held up the letter. "She explained to me about how she found you running away from some angry storekeepers after you tried to steal some bread," he replied.

"I was hungry, and forgot to bring food with me," I explained.

"No money, either?" he demanded.

I raised my eyebrows. "Carrying money in the Rukon District is the most common cause of muggings," I told him.

He nodded. "Oh, right. Well, I need to look after you until Koharu returns, so from now on, I will not leave your side," he replied.

I sighed. Hanataro's fun to hang out with for a little bit, but the last time I spent two days with him, I almost went mad. "Fine," I muttered, turning the page in my book.

He smiled and sat beside me. "So, what are you reading?" he asked me.

"The story Koharu bought me for my birthday," I said, lifting the book to show him the title before setting it down again.

"Ah, it's a good one, especially once they discover that the maid did it," he told me. It's a mystery book.

"Thanks a lot for spoiling it for me," I snapped at him, closing the book and throwing it at him.

"Oh. Sorry, Takumi!" he apologized.

"Mm-hmm," I mumbled, grabbing a new book.

Just over a day later, I sensed Koharu's energy approaching, so I opened the door to my room as Hanataro opened the door for her.

"Thanks for looking after him, Hanataro," she told him, hugging him before walking in as he walked out.

"So, what now?" I asked her, stretching my back and standing.

"We continue as we did before, although you need to contain your power more often," she told me.

"Oh, okay."

Over the next year, we continued like in the previous year, although she taught me how to better control my energy. The lessons mainly consisted of her showing me different ways to dispel my energy if it has built up too much, or how to contain it and complete hide my presence. I excelled at the lessons, so after the first eight months the lessons became more infrequent until it was a monthly occurrence.

Anyway, a year after all this happened, when I was twelve, another important event happened. I made a new friend.

* * *

**A/N: Hello again, readers, and thanks for reading! So, it seems Koharu's finally discovered Takumi's greatest secret! Oh, sorry about the bad ending, but I assure you, sticking with me for the next chapter will be totally worth it.  
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, only my own characters.  
Please, leave a review below! They motivate us writers to keep, well, writing!**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: A New Friend

Over that year, I also began leaving the Seireitei more and more often, with Captain Tosen's permission. In the beginning it was just with Koharu or Hanataro, but eventually they trusted me to be by myself. I would go out at least once a week for a day or so, and help out kids there or just to not be around so many Soul Reapers. Being away from all of the spiritual pressure in the Seireitei really helps me stay calm; it's like getting rid of a light headache.

Anyways, a few days after my twelfth birthday, I had gone to an area right outside the Rukon District I hadn't visited lately, when I heard a strange twittering noise in the trees above me.

"What's that?" I asked myself, looking around. Animals weren't a very common occurrence, and I had only seen a few before. This one was unlike any I'd ever heard before, so I automatically looked for the source, a small bundle of fur on the intersection of several branches. I immediately climbed the branches and looked at it.

The creature was small, maybe the size of both of my hands, and had white fur covering its body and tail, although some of it was turning red.

"Well, I've definitely never seen something like you before," I commented, reaching out to the creature. It looked very alone, and half-starved, as if it hadn't eaten in days.

The animal lifted its head and looked at me, its dark eyes full off sadness and hunger.

"Are you hungry, little guy?" I asked it, holding out a couple berries to it. The creature twittered again and smelled the berries a couple times before eating them, looking at me for more.

"Sorry, but I don't want to give you a stomachache," I told him, stroking his fur gently. He made his twittering noise again and nudged my hand. I smiled and held out another berry to him, and as he ate it I slowly picked him up, holding him in my arms as I jumped to the ground lightly, making sure not to jostle him as I slowly began walking back to the Seireitei.

He looked around me wildly as we continued, but didn't move to leave. After ten minutes or so he climbed up my jacket and curled up in my hood, and I laughed lightly before continuing, weaving around people as I made my way back to the gate.

"Good evening, Jidanbo," I said to the gatekeeper as I walked by him.

"Same to you, Takumi!" he replied. I nodded and waved to him as he opened the gate for me and I walked through the gate, remembering my way through the maze-like paths leading to the tall staircase that goes up to the barracks.

"Hello, again, Takumi," Captain Tosen told me as I walked by him.

"Hello, Captain Tosen," I replied, bowing. "Don't worry, I'm allowed to be out here this time," I assured him. He nodded and continued on his way as I turned toward the Squad Four Barracks.

"I sense something different about you," he began a few seconds later.

I froze as the animal in my hood raised his head. I picked him up and put him in my biggest pocket so that he wouldn't be noticed as easily. "Yeah, I was in a close call with some storekeepers that confused me with some thieves," I lied. "They were faster than most people. They almost chased me for a full mile before I escaped them. Even after they left, I continued to make sure they wouldn't catch up to me, then ran straight here." That was a true story, too. It happened a few weeks previously, so I was going to hold onto it as an excuse in case I needed it.

He chuckled. "How am I not surprised?" he commented.

I laughed. "That's just me," I replied before continuing to Squad Four Barracks.

"How was your trip, Takumi?" Hanataro asked me when he saw me walk along the halls.

"Good, thanks," I replied, making sure that the creature didn't peak his head out.

When I reached the house, I went straight to my room and closed the door behind me. The animal automatically jumped out and ran up the side up my closet, perching on the top shelf.

"Get down from there," I told him, reaching up to him. He just twittered again and moved away from me, curling up and falling asleep. I smiled and walked back out to the main area, grabbing one of Koharu's books on animals, complete with a couple sketches. I returned to my room, sat on the bed, and began reading it, looking through it until I found a description that matched my new friend.

"A red panda…" I whispered to myself, reading the information provided as well as looking at the picture. The picture looked a lot like the creature in my closet, but due to the fact that he doesn't have stripes or much of any color, I knew he was still a cub, probably nine or ten months old. "So, now I know what you are," I told him, making sure to memorize the information. "What are you doing here, though?" I added. Red pandas are very rare in the Soul Society, and almost as rare in the World of the Living. They are found in China/Nepal in the World of the Living. Finding one here is as rare as a Quincy marrying a Soul Reaper.

"Looks like we're both rare occurrences," I told him, picking up the little red panda and sitting back down. He was still fast asleep, so I rubbed the top of his head before setting him on the pillow beside me and returning the book to its place.

"How was your trip today?" Koharu asked me as she walked in the same time I turned back to my room.

I froze, surprised by her sudden appearance. "Same as usual. You?" I replied.

She smiled. "Same here," she told me.

"Why are you home so early? I thought you didn't get off your shift for another three hours," I asked her.

She laughed. "Sorry, but I need to leave for a few days on a trip with my Relief Squad," she said. "I left early to pack. The Tenth and Eleventh Squads are going to be doing war games to train, and they'll need us in case something goes wrong."

"Oh, okay," I replied. I had met both Captains Shiba and Zaraki previously, and Zaraki's lieutenant, Yachiru, automatically gave me the nickname 'Taku' when she met me. She's pretty much the only person that gets away with calling me that after my parents died, and that's only because she's a better fighter than me, and I don't like using my spiritual pressure against Soul Reapers unless they're Ninth Squad and chasing me down.

She nodded and continued to her room, packing a bag with and spare set of clothes and supplies. "Hopefully we'll be back in three days. Hanataro will check in on you every once in a while, and please stay out of trouble," she reminded me. Ever since Tosen threatened to chase me down a year ago, I've continued my venturing, except that I haven't been caught. They all know I continue, but my mental map of every patrol is virtually perfect by now, so I rarely have any close encounters. My Shunpo has also gotten better, but not by much, since I'm not really being taught, just teaching myself.

I smiled. "Yeah, I will," I said. She nodded and hugged me before walking out.

"Well, looks like it'll just be the two of us for a few days," I told the red panda as I walked back into my room. He was still asleep, so I sat beside him and opened another book.

He woke another hour later, whining for food, so I fed him a few berries and a small piece of meat. "I should probably give you a name if I keep you," I told him as he ran around the room. I thought about it for another five minutes or so before I finally came up with something. "I think I'll call you…Akaguu," I told him, picking him up as he tried to leap across my lap. He squirmed in my grip and tried to escape, but stopped after several tries and curled up on my lap as I pet him.

The next three days went by relatively quickly. I would wake up each morning and get some breakfast, taking some back from the cafeteria to give to Akaguu. I tried my best to train him in the limited time I had, but he proved resilient to training of any kind. It took me two of the days just to teach him to follow me and stay when I tell him, but by the end of the third day I also had him house-trained, running out when he had to…you know, do his thing. Whenever Hanataro would come by I would simply hide him in my closet, locking it closed with a rope until Hanataro left, at which point I would open the door and give him a few berries.

Things got interesting, though, the day Koharu returned.

"Takumi! I'm back!" she announced as I was teaching Akaguu to sit.

"Kay! I'll be right out!" I replied, quickly ushering him into the closet and racing out of my room, tackling Koharu in a hug. "How was the trip?" I asked her.

She smiled. "It was fun," she replied. "It was close, but Eleventh Squad won again," she explained. "The Captains and Lieutenants weren't allowed to participate, though, or else it would have taken longer."

"That would've been interesting to watch," I replied. She nodded and went to her room to unpack her things. I returned to my room to check on Akaguu, but when I arrived the door to the closet was open, as was the door to my room.

"Akaguu…" I began until I heard a scream from Koharu's room.

"What's going on?" I shouted as I raced in find Akaguu perched on her bed, staring at her. "Akaguu!" I added, snatching him up.

"What is that thing?" she demanded.

"A red panda," I explained, smacking Akaguu's nose lightly to punish him for leaving. "I found him in the outer Rukon District area," I added.

"Okay, why is it here, though?" she asked, obviously surprised.

"I found him while I was wandering in a forest. He was on a branch, and looked half-starved," I told her. "I couldn't just leave him there when he was so weak, so I gave him some food and took him back to the Seireitei. Please, don't take him away," I begged her. "He needs someone to look after him, he's only a baby. Besides, it'll teach me responsibility and will help me mature." I continued with a speech for over five minutes, telling her how it will help all of us to have a pet.

"So? Can I keep him?" I asked her.

She smiled and laughed lightly. "Takumi, I was going to let you keep him before you started the speech," she told me.

"Then why didn't you stop me?" I demanded.

She laughed again. "I wanted to see how long you'd go," she said simply. "There's one problem, though," she added.

"What is it?" I replied.

"We're going to need Captain Unohana's permission to keep a pet here," she told me.

"Oh," I said. Captain Unohana and I get along well, but she sticks to the rules strictly with very little flexibility. "I'm sure she'll be fine with it, though. I'm pretty sure that there aren't any rules against it," I added.

* * *

"So, you wish to keep this creature with you in your home?" Unohana said when we told her the issue we came to her about.

I nodded. "Yes, I do," I replied, holding Akaguu in my arms as he turned toward her.

She looked at him. "What reasons do you have for why I should allow this?" she asked me.

I took a deep breath and used the same speech I used with Koharu, explaining how it would help teach me responsibility and help me mature. It took me a full ten minutes this time, mainly because I really wanted to keep him.

When I finished she nodded and sat there for another minute in thought before nodding again. "Okay, I will let you keep the creature," she told me. "You must train it, though, and give it a name to be addressed be."

I smiled. "Thank you, Captain," I replied. "I already gave him a name, though," I added.

She raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What is it?" she asked.

I smiled. "Akaguu," I said, causing Akaguu to lift his head.

She smiled. "You do realize that you just connected the words for 'red' and 'friend' together, right?" she asked me.

I nodded. "Yep," I replied.

She smiled again. "Okay, you may go now," she told us.

We bowed deeply and walked out.

"Woo-hoo!" I cheered when we were back at the house, lifting Akaguu. "You can stay!" I told him. He just looked at me, curious as to why I was lifting him, so I just gave him a couple berries and set him down.

"He's pretty cute," Koharu commented, looking at him as he ate the berries and ran up the chair I was sitting in, curling around my neck.

"That tickles!" I squealed, lifting him and setting him on my lap, petting his back.

"Well, it looks like you have a pet," she told me.

"Yep," I replied with a grin.

"You'll have to train him, though, so that he doesn't get into trouble," she added.

"You mean, more trouble than me?" I asked her.

She smiled and laughed. "Yeah, yeah."

Over the next few weeks I dedicated all of my time to training Akaguu until he would follow any command I give him, and followed me everywhere. He even helped me pull some pranks on some Eleventh Squad members. If they ever caught me, though, he would always run.

"Thanks a lot!" I shouted at him the first time that a group of Eleventh Squad members cornered me. I made them chase me for a while, but their flashstep is better than mine. That particular prank involved a lot of glue and feathers. It took me over a month to get enough feathers, but the result was a group of Soul Reapers chasing me with feather-coated Zanpakuto. Captain Zaraki didn't accompany me back to the house, but his Lieutenant, Yachiru, did instead.

"The soldiers may not have liked it, Taku, but I think that prank was pretty clever!" she told me as we walked back to Squad Four Barracks.

I smiled slightly as Akaguu ran up and sat on my head, causing me to laugh. He developed a liking for sitting on my head.

"Aw, he's cute!" she squealed, grabbing him and hugging him tight.

"Watch it!" I snapped at her, reaching for him. She didn't let go, though, so I released the full extent of my spiritual pressure, pushing her back so that I could grab him.

"Wow, Taku, you're strong!" she told me. "Why haven't you taken the test to become a Soul Reaper yet?"

I shrugged. "I guess Koharu hasn't signed me up for the test yet," I replied.

She shrugged. "Oh, well. If you do become a Soul Reaper, I hope you join Squad Eleven so that I can see you all the time!" she added.

I grimaced slightly. "Yeah, sure," I said. We walked in silence for a few more minutes until we reached the house, where Koharu was waiting.

"Takumi…" she began to say when she saw us.

"Hey, look on the bright side," I told her. "At least it wasn't Squad Nine!"

"Oh, yeah, I heard about that, Taku," Yachiru added. "Good job not getting caught!"

I nodded. "Thanks, Yachiru," I replied before she nodded and skipped away, back to Squad Eleven.

"Alright, what did you do this time?" Koharu demanded as we walked inside.

"Let's just say that it involved glue and feathers, and resulted in Soul Reapers chasing me with feathery Zanpakuto," I replied simple as Akaguu ran into my room. "He was a big help in the escape attempt," I added sarcastically. "The moment we were cornered, he took off."

She smiled slightly. "Well, that was probably his survival instinct," she told me. "Anyone would run when being chased by Squad Eleven."

I shrugged. "Yeah, yeah," I said as I walked to my room.

Anyway, things continued like this for another three years, except that after two years, Koharu began tutoring me for the exam so that I could pass it and enter the Shinigami Academy. I took the exam at the end of the third year, only a couple days after my birthday.

* * *

**A/N: Hello again, readers! Here's the latest chapter! Well, it seems that Takumi's made himself a new friend, yay!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, only my own characters.**

**Please, leave a review! To get more reviews, I will not update again until I get two more reviews.**

**Well, see ya next time!**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: The Exam

"Good luck!" Koharu told me as I walked out. At this point I was actually taller than her by an inch or so. My white hair was cut shorter than before, and I was much more muscular than three years previously.

"Thanks!" I replied, closing the door behind me so that Akaguu couldn't follow. He had developed a strong attachment to me, so for the past several weeks I trained him to also follow Koharu's commands so that he would stay there, but he still wanted to go with me.

Once the door was closed, I took off along the rooftops to cut down on time.

"Hey! Get down from there!" a Squad Nine member yelled at me. My path cut through several guard paths.

"Sorry! I just need it as a shortcut!" I replied, rushing on before they could follow.

I continued like this until I was at the Shinigami Academy, where the test takes place. It's mainly a physical examination, including combat, but there were also some written parts. I even passed Captain Tosen on the way, but he just nodded, having known why I was going that way. If I wasn't in such a hurry, I would have completely avoided him, but neither of us did anything.

"I'm here to sign in," when I arrived at the front desk of the Academy, a very large building.

"Name?" the woman asked me.

"Takumi Shimizu," I replied.

She flipped through several papers before finding my name, putting an 'x' next to it. "Okay, go through the door to my right," she told me.

I nodded and said, "Thank you," before going in to the room, which had countless desks, many of which were already filled, although almost half were still empty, so I was not late.

"The test will begin in ten minutes, I suggest you get ready," one of the people looking over the exam told me.

I nodded and got comfortable, making sure that the ink and brush provided were in good condition.

Ten minutes later, mere seconds after the last person took his seat, one of the teachers stood up. "Welcome, all of you, to the Shinoreijutsuin Entrance Exam," she told us. She went over the rules for the exam with us. We had two hours, but if we finished by the end of the first, we may leave and begin the second portion, the physical exam. Cheating would disqualify us.

"You have two hours. Begin," she said, flipping over a large hourglass to start the clock. We all immediately picked up our brushes as the tests appeared on the desks.

I quickly looked over the test to look for any difficult questions I should get over with, and every time I found one, I worked hard until I found the answer.

By the end of the hour mark, ten people were done, and the rest of us were almost so. I only had fifteen questions left, so after five minutes I was finished and let the ink dry as I set the brush down.

"Thank you, you may leave and begin the second portion of your exam," one of the teachers told me, walking by to collect it.

I stood and bowed to him before walking out to a waiting room, where another desk was.

"Name?" the person there demanded.

"Takumi Shimizu," I replied.

He nodded and checked my name off of a list. "Thank you, please go through door #12," he told me, pointing to a door about fifty feet to my left.

I nodded and jogged over to it, slowing near the end and calming my heart rate as I pushed the door open.

"Hello, please stand over there," the woman in there told me, pointing to a height scale.

I nodded and stood there as she checked my height, medical history, weight, pulse, etc.

Finally, after twenty minutes, she wrote one last thing on her clipboard and stuck a pin onto my shirt with my name. "Okay, you may pass through the doors," she said, pointing to a door at the other end of the room.

I nodded and thanked her as I walked on to the next area, a large arena. Several Captains were sitting in a booth above the ground, and watching as people taking the exam sparred with students.

"Please, take a seat," an assistant told me, pointing to a long bench that already had several students sitting on it.

I did as he said, sitting next to a girl with medium-length black hair and bright green eyes.

"Hello, I'm Takumi Shimizu," I told her, holding out her hand.

She looked over to me, surprised, and shook my hand. "Nice to meet you. I'm Haruka Ishikawa," she replied.

I smiled and turned to watch the fighting. "So, why are you taking the exam?" I asked her.

"I wanted to get off the streets of the Rukongai and do something with my life," she said. "How about you?"

I chuckled. "Kinda similar, but the woman who looks after me wants me to take the test so that I can better control my spiritual pressure," I explained.

She frowned. "I don't sense any spiritual pressure coming from you, though," she replied, confused.

I grinned. "Yeah, that's the result of five years of training to control my spiritual pressure," I explained. "When I was younger, I blacked out all the time," I added before she was called up. She began with a mock fight against a student. She was pretty good, lasting over a minute before the student knocked her legs out from beneath her and pinned her to the ground. After that the Captains had her show them the full extent of her spiritual pressure. She was fairly powerful, about the strength of a Tenth Seat officer.

"Shimizu, Takumi!" Captain Zaraki called, reading my name off of a list.

I stood up and walked by Haruka as she returned to the bench.

"Good job out there," I told her.

She smiled. "Thanks. Good luck," she replied as I walked up to the student I would be facing.

"You will spar with this student until one surrenders," Captain Kurotsuchi told me before blowing a whistle.

I started with the first move, kicking at his chest with my foot. He tried to block it, but I focused my energy in my foot, increasing the power of the kick.

"Not bad, examinee," the student replied, jumping at me and delivering an onslaught of blows. I managed to block many of them, and endured the rest for ten seconds before pushing him back and punching him in the chest, knocking the breath of him as he staggered back.

"He's not a bad fighter," I heard Captain Sui-Feng comment as we continued to spar.

That brought a grin to my face as I continued to fight, although the student pinned me three minutes into the fight.

"Thank you for the fight," I told him, bowing after he helped me up.

He nodded before walking away.

"Thank you for the demonstration," Captain Shiba, the Captain in charge of this portion, told me. "For the final part, you must display the full extent of your spiritual pressure to us," he added.

I grinned again and nodded. Focusing on my energy, I summoned all of my reserves and energy, releasing it when I couldn't contain it anymore. The resulting release pushed everyone back, even the Captains.

"Impressive," Kurotsuchi commented, just like the first time I released my spiritual pressure. I could sense several other spiritual pressures appear, and I worked my hardest to get my own under control again.

"Thank you, please return to your seat," Captain Shiba told me. "We will tell you your results once the testing is over."

I bowed deeply to them. "Thank you," I said before going to my seat.

"Whoa," Haruka commented simply. "I see why the woman looking after you wanted you to take the test," she added. "Who is the woman, anyway?"

"Her name is Koharu Yamada, Fourth Seat of Fourth Squad," I replied. "She was friends with my mother, that's why she took me in."

"Oh, that explains how you have such good control, then," she stated simply.

I shrugged. "Probably," I said.

We continued to talk for the rest of the talk, and quickly became friends. Haruka's parents had died not long after she was born, so she was pretty much raised on the streets.

"Thank you all for coming here today," the Captains told us after the final person finished and they compiled all the grades and selected the hundred people to be chosen. "Please line up and we will hand passes to those of you who are accepted into the Academy, in alphabetical order," they added, pulling out a stack of folders.

They walked among the line of entrants for several minutes before Captain Shiba walked up to Haruka Ishikawa, handing her a folder. "Haruka Ishikawa, you have been accepted into the advanced program," he told her. He looked and me and chuckled, pulling out another folder. "Well, since I'm already here, I might as well give you yours," he added, handing me a folder. "Takumi Shimizu, you have also been accepted into the advanced program. Congratulations, both of you," he told us before moving on.

"Yay!" Haruka squealed as we walked out. "What do you think is in each folder?" she added.

"Class schedules, room assignments, supply lists, and directions to get our uniforms," I replied, quickly flipping through the pages.

"I'll take that to mean you passed," Koharu said as she walked up to me. She stopped a couple people feet away, looking at Haruka.

"Koharu, this is Haruka Ishikawa," I told her. "Haruka, this is the woman that's raised me for the past five years, Koharu Yamada."

They shook hands. "It's nice to see that you've already made a friend other than Akaguu," Koharu commented.

"Aka…guu?" Haruka asked me.

I smiled. "Yeah, he's my best friend," I told her as he darted out from behind her back, running up my back and perching on my shoulders. "Akaguu!" I laughed, petting his back.

"This…is Akaguu?" she asked me.

"Yep!" I replied, lifting him and settling him in my arms. "I found him a few years ago when he was just a cub, so I've practically raised him."

Haruka smiled and rubbed his chin. He twittered and ran up her arm.

"He's cute!" she told me.

"Thanks!" I replied.

"So, looks like you're gonna become a Soul Reaper," an intimidating voice behind us growled.

"Um, hi, Captain Zaraki," I told him, grabbing Akaguu and holding him close. Zaraki isn't a big fan of pets.

He nodded. "Make sure to stay out of trouble," he told me. "The teachers are less forgiving than I am."

I gulped nervously. "Yes, sir!" I replied.

"Yay! Taku's gonna be a Soul Reaper, just like us!" Yachiru cheered as she jumped onto Zaraki's back.

"'Taku'?" Haruka asked me.

I groaned. "Don't ask," I told her as Zaraki and Yachiru walked away.

"Oh, okay," she replied. "Now, let's go get our uniforms!" she added, dragging me along as Akaguu returned to Koharu's side.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm comin'," I said, following her.

"You two have fun!" Koharu told us as we followed directions to the store where we get our uniforms.

"Ah, you two must have just been accepted into the Academy," the woman running the store said when she saw us. "Congratulations!"

We smiled. "Thank you," we replied before she took me to the fitting room first, an assistant taking Haruka to another.

Once I was in the fitting room she pulled out a guy's uniform, which was white with blue, and had me put it on in a different room before walking back in, when she began making changes to the uniform so that it fit me almost perfectly, but with some room to grow.

"How does that feel?" she asked me in the end.

"Perfect, thank you," I replied.

She smiled and wrote down all the measurements. "I'll have these ready for you in a couple hours," she told me, sending me to change back into my normal clothes. "Now, I suggest you get going."

I nodded and walked out at the same time as Haruka.

"That was quick," I commented as we walked out, looking through our folders.

"So according to this, classes start tomorrow?" Haruka asked me, looking at one of the papers.

"Yep," I replied, checking my papers. "I wonder what the classes will be like," I added.

She shrugged. "No clue."

We moved on to a store where we could find everything we needed for the supplies, which were surprisingly minimal. It was mainly writing utensils, paper, and other basic things like that. It all fit in one bag for each of us.

"Thank you, come again!" the storekeeper told us before we walked away.

After that we talked more as we walked around the Seireitei.

"Did you really live at the Squad Four Barracks?" she asked me after a while.

I nodded. "Yep, I did," I replied. "I can show you if you want, I need to pack anyway to move into my new room later. I wonder why they have us do all this in one day?" I added.

She shrugged. "They probably want us to start classes as soon as possible," she replied as we turned toward the Squad Four Barracks.

"Hey, Hanataro!" I said when I saw him in the hallways in the Barracks, not far from the house.

"Hello, Takumi!" he replied. "Who's this?" he added, looking at Haruka.

"Hanataro, this is Haruka Ishikawa," I told him. "I met her during the exam. Haruka, this is Hanataro Yamada, Seventh Seat of Squad Four and Koharu's younger brother."

She bowed. "It is a pleasure to meet you," she told him.

He smiled. "Nice to meet you, too. So, how did you two do in the exam?" he asked us.

We grinned. "We both passed," I said. "We're in the advanced class."

His smile widened. "Congratulations!" he told us as we continued to the house. "Koharu isn't at the house right now, though, but I can keep you company if you want! I've got the rest of the day off."

"Sure, come on!" I replied.

"Wait, house?" Haruka asked me. "I thought you said that you live in the barracks?"

"The house is part of the barracks," I explained simply as I opened the door leading to the courtyard that the house is situated in.

"This is nice," she told us as we went inside. I showed her around the house, and then we sat in the main living area and talked for a while as Akaguu ate some bamboo. The few short stalks outside the house that were there for no reason were quickly eaten once Akaguu could digest it, and since then we've had countless bamboo shoots growing in the yard so that he would have enough to eat.

"Takumi, I'm back!" Koharu began as she walked in, but stopped when she saw us. "Oh, hello," she said.

Haruka smiled. "Hello!" she replied.

"Hi, Koharu," I told her as she sat down with us.

"You know, we should probably go get our uniforms," Haruka commented. "They're most likely ready by now."

"Yeah, probably," I replied, grabbing the money Koharu gave me for supplies.

"Hurry back!" Koharu shouted after us as we ran to the store.

"We will!" we shouted back before taking off through the hallways. The run to the store eventually turned into a race by the time we reached the entrance to the Squad Four Barracks.

"Come on, is that the fastest you can run?" Haruka asked me as she started to run ahead. "Your time out of the Rukon District has made you soft!" she added.

I narrowed my eyes at her and focused my spirit pressure. "Oh, yeah?" I replied. "Better try to keep up, then!" I told her before using flashstep to jump onto the rooftops, where there were far less people, and take off, arriving at the store a full minute ahead of her.

"Ah, just in time!" the storeowner said when she saw me. "I just finished the uniforms of you and your friend. Where is she?" she added, looking around.

"Not…fair…!" Haruka gasped as she ran in a few seconds later. "I didn't know you can use flashstep!" she added.

I smiled and paid for my uniform, waiting for Haruka to do the same before we walked back to the house.

"Why do you guys look so tired?" Hanataro asked us when he saw us.

"We raced there, and part of the way back," I explained.

He smiled. "You know, it's not fair to use flashstep on a person that is unable to use it herself," he told me.

I shrugged. "Yeah, yeah," I replied as Koharu greeted us.

"So, when do you need to move into your dorm room at the Academy?" she asked us.

I looked at my papers. "It doesn't say, just that we need to be moved in and ready before the first class begins tomorrow," I told her.

She nodded. "Well, we should probably get going, then," she told us.

We nodded and grabbed all of our things. "Did you have anything in the Rukon District that you wished to collect?" Hanataro asked Haruka.

"No, this is everything," she replied, holding up the bag of materials and the large case with her uniforms.

"Oh, right," he replied. I grabbed my uniforms, my bag, and a few books, and we were right about to leave when a red blur dashed out of my room and onto my back.

"Okay, you can come too, Akaguu," I told him.

He made his twittering sound and curled up around my neck as we walked out.

"So, you're leaving?" Captain Unohana asked me as she walked up to us on our way out.

We all stopped and bowed, even though Haruka had no idea why. "Yes, Captain Unohana," I replied.

She smiled slightly and nodded. "Best of luck to you and your friend," she told me. "I hope to see you as a member of Squad Four in the future," she added.

I hesitated, but nodded. "I hope so, too," I replied, even though it was a plain lie. I wanted to fight Hollows and protect people, not sweep the floors and clean bathrooms like the Fourth Squad so often does.

She nodded again and walked away, so we continued to the Academy residence hall.

"That was the Squad Four Captain?" Haruka asked me, looking behind us.

"Yeah, that's Captain Unohana," I replied.

"Cool," she said simply, making me chuckle as we continued.

"You know, you don't have to come with us, Hanataro," I told Hanataro when we arrived at the rooms we were assigned to, which were actually right next to each other.

He smiled. "I know, but I wanted to make sure you move in well, and to help Koharu adjust to being alone in the house," he told me.

I smiled back at him. "Well, you could always move into my room while I'm gone," I told him. "Plus, I don't think pets are allowed in the dorms, so Akaguu will still be there."

Koharu laughed. "Thanks for the offer, but Captain Shiba pulled some strings," she told me. "When he heard of your pet, he made sure that your room is one of the ones that pets are allowed in. It has an area for food and water, as well as a gate to an area where he can go to the bathroom," she explained.

I smiled. "Well then, thank him for me," I told her before unlocking the door with a key I was given. It was fairly simply decorated with just a bed, desk, dresser, bookshelf, and a built-in closet with food and water bowls for Akaguu inside it.

"They're all like this," Hanataro explained to me as I placed my uniforms inside the closet and my books on the bookshelf, as well as my bag of supplies on the desk.

"Nice room," Haruka told me after she finished unpacking as well.

"Thanks," I replied.

"There are four bathrooms per floor," Hanataro told us. "Two men's bathrooms and two women's bathrooms, one of each in a wing," he added, pointing to the ones nearest to our rooms.

"Thank you, Hanataro," we told him. He nodded and took a couple steps back as Koharu stepped toward me.

"You know, your studies are continuous, all year long with very few breaks. You won't be able to see me very often," Koharu told me. She isn't happy with me becoming a Soul Reaper, despite the fact that she offered the idea five years previously.

I nodded. "I know, but I want to do this," I told her before she hugged me tightly.

"I'm gonna miss you, Takumi," she replied.

I smiled slightly and hugged her back. "Don't worry, you can still visit me, right?" I asked her. She nodded slightly. "Good, that means that you won't be completely without me. Plus, you could probably ask Hanataro to move in and keep you company," I added.

She smiled and stepped back. "Okay, then. Goodbye, for now," she told me before walking away.

"So, what do you want to do now?" Haruka asked me when Hanataro and Koharu were out of sight.

I shrugged. "No clue," I replied. "You?"

"Same here," she told me before her stomach let out a large growling noise. "Sorry, I'm not usually hungry," she added, her face turning red with embarrassment.

"Don't worry, it's to be expected," I told her. "After displaying so much of your spiritual pressure, you need to eat in order to replace it. I'm surprised you didn't get hungry before," I explained.

"Oh. Why haven't you acted hungry, then?" she asked me.

"Simple, I didn't want to," I replied. "I was very hungry, but we never got to a point where we both needed food, so I never brought it up," I explained as we followed a map to the cafeteria, where we got our food and found an empty table to sit at.

"This place has good food," I commented as I ate my dinner. Haruka had just begun to nod when a voice spoke behind me.

"That's our table, newbie," the voice said.

I turned around and saw a large student, obviously in his fourth or fifth year there, standing behind us, someone else holding his tray of food as he cracked his knuckles menacingly.

"Well, there's plenty of room for all of us," Haruka said calmly, trying her best to avoid conflict.

"Apparently you don't get it," he said. "This is our table, meaning we're the only people that sit here. So, unless you want me to rearrange your face, I suggest you move. Now."

I rolled my eyes. "How about you make us?" I asked him, carefully controlling my spiritual pressure.

He snarled at me and just released most of his spiritual pressure, but I barely even felt it.

"Wow, I figured somebody as experienced as you would be stronger," I muttered before releasing a fraction of my own energy, which was enough to make him freeze in place as he resisted the pressure I exerted.

"Takumi, calm down," Haruka told me. "Don't get into trouble on your first day," she added.

I frowned but reigned in my power, making sure not to leak too much as I finished my meal then took care of the dishes.

"So, what do you want to do next?" I asked her as we walked out.

"Well, our papers said that we need to get our Academy-issued practice Zanpakuto," she told me. "Their true power is blocked until we graduate, but we still carry them for some classes," she added, pointing to the correct building we had to go to.

When we arrived there was a line of the new students waiting, so we must have been one of the last people to go there. It took us over an hour to reach the armory where we get our Zanpakuto.

"Ah, so you must be Takumi Shimizu and Haruka Ishikawa," one of the people told us when we walked in. "You're the last two."

We bowed before being taken to two different rooms, where a person was waiting with each.

"Which of your hands is dominant?" he asked me.

"My right one," I replied, holding it out.

He nodded and lifted a blade off of a rack and handed it to me. "Allow your spiritual energy to flow into the blade so that it may fit to your own hand and style," he told me.

I nodded and drew the blade. It was of average length, but as I let my energy flow into it, it continued to grow in size until it was the size of the room, when I focused on my energy and focused it so that it was roughly the size of a nodachi, about five and a half feet long.

"Congratulations, you have chosen your Zanpakuto," he told me before teaching my how to strap it across my back, since it was too long to hang at my waist.

"You may leave," he told me after five more minutes.

I bowed and thanked him before walking out, where Haruka was waiting. She had a smaller-than-average Zanpakuto at her side. It had a purple hilt, and was a bit smaller than a katana.

"What took ya so long?" she asked with a smiled.

I chuckled. "Sorry, but I didn't want to destroy the room with my Zanpakuto," I replied. "It got so big it almost did so, until I managed to contain it to this size," I added, pointing to the sword slung over my shoulder.

"Wow, nice," she complimented me before we started walking to our rooms.

"Same to you," I replied.

She smiled slightly as we continued to our rooms, where Akaguu was waiting for me.

"Yeah, yeah, I missed you, too," I told him when he jumped at my head and back, curling up around my neck.

The rest of the day was fairly boring. We mainly hung out in my room after we removed our Zanpakuto and hung them in our rooms so that they wouldn't get in the way. The next day, though, became more interesting.

It was the first day of classes.

* * *

**A/N: Hello, readers! Well, it looks like Takumi is officially in the Soul Reaper Academy, and even made a new friend! What will happen next? Stay tuned to find out!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach**

**Thanks you two reviewers! I'm going to set another two-review limit before I post again, so please leave more reviews!**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: First Day of Classes

"Are you ready to go?" I asked Haruka as we walked to the cafeteria that morning. Akaguu wasn't happy, but he stayed in my room and was behaving as far as I knew.

"Yeah, come on," she replied as we walked in and got our food, sitting at a different table than before to avoid conflicts.

We quickly ate breakfast and made sure that we had everything for our first class before walking toward the room, arriving a minute early. It was a class of about fifty students.

"Welcome, all of you, and congratulations," the teacher told when he walked in. "For those of you who don't know, everyone in this room has been accepted into the advanced courses due to your high test grades and potential. You are to all address me as 'Sir' and nothing else. Are we clear?"

"Yes, Sir," we all replied.

He nodded and began a discussion on what Spirit Energy is. I followed Koharu's advice on when to speak and when not to speak, and when someone else would speak out of turn, the teacher got into a lecture about why people should only speak at the proper times.

At the end of the two-hour class, we had a ten-minute break before we needed to go to the Zanjutsu class.

"I see you have all brought your Zanpakuto, good," the teacher, a very large and intimidating person, told us. "Unfortunately, you will not be using them. Instead, you will be using wooden Zanpakuto to ensure that nobody is grievously injured," he added, gesturing to a very large rack of wooden swords. "Pick the one that is closest to your sword," he commanded.

We all got up at once and raced to the rack so that we could get the best ones. They were arranged in order of length, so the longest were at the bottom and the shortest were at the top. I had the largest of the Zanpakuto, though, so it was easy to select one of the longer once, which I strapped across my back on top of my sheath.

When everyone was finished we returned to our seats he smiled and nodded. "Now, it's time to introduce yourselves. When I select one of you, the person selected will stand, tell us his or her name, and where that person is from. So…you're first," he said, pointing to me.

I stood up and faced everyone. "My name is Takumi Shimizu, and I was born and raised for most of my life in the inner Rukon District," I told them.

"Thank you, Takumi," the teacher told me, so I sat down as he selected another student.

After about an hour everyone was introduced, so he had us draw our wooden swords and hold them in what we each think is the proper stance. I held the blade in both hands, turned my body, and moved my legs just more than shoulder-width apart, lifting the sword so that it was directly in front of me and pointing upwards at about a 45 degree angle. Once it felt it was right, I stayed like that until the teacher walked by.

He stopped and examined my stance, moving my feet slightly farther apart. "Very good, though," he assured me before moving on to Haruka, who had a perfect stance.

"I've seen my fair share of swordfights in the Rukon District," she explained before the teacher let us exit our stances.

"I'll warn you now, we will not use our Zanpakuto for the first six months unless I feel you are ready for it," he told us near the end. "Zanpakuto are very dangerous blades, and unless somebody has complete confidence, using one can have disastrous consequences. Tomorrow, we will begin with the basics, such as working on stance and the essential techniques for attacking, defending, and sensing someone's attack. You are dismissed," he added.

We all nodded and walked back to our rooms to take care of our wooden swords and Zanpakuto before the next class, for Hakuda. It's all about hand-to-hand combat. In the first class, we just talked about the basics and didn't really do anything, just like in our Kido course.

"I can't wait 'till we actually get to do stuff!" I declared as we went to the cafeteria for dinner after our last class.

Haruka smiled and nodded. "Yeah, today was fairly boring, but then again, it was only the first day. Don't forget, we still have one more class after dinner," she reminded me.

"Oh, yeah, the Hoho course," I replied happily. I already know some flashstep, which is a subsection of Hoho.

After dinner ended we took care of our dishes and raced each other to the classroom, although I beat her by a minute by using flashstep.

"Ah, I see at least one of the students can use flashstep already," the teacher said when she saw me.

I smiled. "Yes, I taught myself from watching numerous Squad Nine members chase someone down," I replied as I sat down.

"That wasn't fair, I don't know flashstep!" Haruka panted when she arrived and took a seat beside me.

"That's why we're all here, to learn flashstep," I reminded her.

She rolled her eyes and punched my arm lightly as she got comfortable for the class. Just like the previous classes, it was all just discussion, although the teacher gave us a demonstration by going from one end of the room to another and back in the blink of an eye. We all applauded her and she bowed while we walked out to return to our rooms.

"I wonder when we'll begin practicing," she wondered as we walked.

I shrugged. "No clue, but I hope it's soon. I don't like sitting still," I replied when we got to our rooms.

She smiled at my comment. "Yeah, I can tell."

I chuckled and walked into my room. I changed into my pajamas and read a book I brought with me.

That night, around nine, I fell asleep and had a dream.

In my dream, I was standing on one of many pillars around me, all of which were hundreds of feet above me. The wind was blowing around me so strongly that I could barely hear anything.

"Where am I?" I asked myself, because the area was completely unfamiliar. I looked around and saw a very large falcon perched several pillars in front of me. "What are you?" I asked it.

It looked at me and opened its beak. "I am your ally," he told me. "Before I may join you, though, you must know my name."

"What's your name?" I asked him.

"My name is…" he began, but the wind whipped away the words before they could reach my ears.

"What? What's your name?" I asked him again.

"It is…" he said again, but I couldn't hear it.

There was a large gust of wind that emanated from him right then, and it blew me off of my pillar, sending me crashing to the ground below…

"AAH!" I screamed as I woke up, sitting up straight as I looked around my room. Akaguu was hiding under my bed, and I could see why.

It looked like a tornado swept through my room. Almost everything was thrown around, almost as if the winds in my dreams were real.

"That was a crazy dream," I muttered as I put everything away and looked up in the sky to check the time. The sun was just beginning to rise, so I was ahead of schedule. I used that extra time coaxing Akaguu out from under the bed, mainly by using a lot of berries. "I'm sorry, Akaguu, I don't know what happened," I told him as he jumped into my arms. I filled his bowls with food and water, and as he ate I got dressed in my uniform, attaching my Zanpakuto and wooden sword to my back before I walked out to get breakfast.

Haruka had walked out at exactly the same time, so we went there together and sat at a table with our food.

Our first class of the day went by similarly to the previous day, but in our Zanjutsu class we started practice fights.

"I will match up pairs of two," the teacher told us. "When I say so, each pair will combat each other. I will use this to see how quickly you learn and adapt," he added before he started pairing up people randomly. In the end I was against Haruka, which I found unfair since my sword is much longer than hers. I didn't say anything about it, though, and went to an area where I stood across from her.

"Are you ready for this?" I asked Haruka before he blew his whistle.

She nodded and we got into our stances as he blew the whistle.

We stayed like that for a few seconds, waiting for the other person to move, and after a couple seconds I moved. I started by slashing at her right side, the opposite side of her sword, but she took the opportunity to duck under the blade and slash at my waist.

I dove away from her as she jumped at me with a flurry of blows. Her shorter blade allowed her to get up close and personal for her attacks, where it would be harder to wield my own blade. I used my spiritual energy to increase my speed, though, and used that to match her blow for blow.

After a minute of this I pushed her back with my sword and started attacking, making sure that I didn't leave many openings.

"How is it you're so good with a blade?" I asked Haruka.

She grinned. "I was a young girl out on the streets of the Rukon District. I needed a way to protect myself, so I found a large knife and used it to protect myself," she muttered as she protected herself. "You?"

I grinned this time. "I would sneak away occasionally to the different barracks to watch them practice," I explained.

She frowned slightly as I disarmed her and held my blade to her throat. "So, you learned by watching fully trained Squad members train?" she asked me.

I nodded and gave her back her wooden sword. "Yeah, although they would often catch me early after I would sneak in. A couple Captains, like Captain Shiba, were nice enough to let me stay and watch, but some, like Captain Tosen, would always send my back to the house," I explained as we joined the rest of the students. We were the last to finish our fight.

"Alright, I've now seen your skill with your swords," the teacher told us. "All of you are at least good, and some of you are very skilled," he added. "It will still be a long time before I allow you to use your Zanpakuto in here, though, but you will still need them, because once a week we will attempt to meditate with them. By the end of the year, some of you will even be able to contact the spirits. It is a very hard thing to do, though, with only a year of meditation, but I've had students pass through here that are specially tuned to the voice of their Zanpakuto and even learn their name by the end of the first year, although they are rare. Now, tomorrow is the first day that you will attempt to meditate with your Zanpakuto," he told us. "Behind this building is a large courtyard. That is where we will meet tomorrow."

We all nodded so he told us that at the beginning and end of every year, he holds a tournament with each class to determine who the best is. He already set up the matchups for the first round, so he would have us begin right then and there. There was only time for five matchups, one of which included me versus a guy that's a few inches taller than me. His sword was average-sized, and I could tell by the confident look in his eyes that he knows how to use it.

"Ready?" the teacher asked us when we were in our stances. We nodded slightly and he blew a whistle.

The other guy started with a feint to my right, then tossing it quickly to his left side, aiming for my left leg. I rolled under it and swung at his abdomen, although he blocked it and swung for my right arm. I easily blocked it and aimed for a slash across his chest. He blocked it with his sword just in time, but as I followed through for a slash from bottom right to top left, he got ready for the block when I got an idea.

I loosened my grip on the sword so that it rotated and was facing upside down. I brought it up in a slash at his throat instead, and as he tried to block it I took the opportunity to block his blade with my other hand, making sure to not touch the area that it would be sharper on.

I stopped my sword an inch from his throat, then lightly touched it to his skin, making him jump.

"The victor is Takumi Shimizu," the teacher told us as we returned to our seats.

"Where did you learn that trick?" Haruka asked me as another pair was called up.

I shrugged. "I just made it up," I replied. "It just came to me during the fight."

She raised an eyebrow but dropped it as we watched the other fights. She was called for the last match against a guy two times larger than him. She used his size to her advantage, getting past his guard before he could react and holding her blade to his throat.

"That matching was kinda unfair for him," Haruka commented as she returned to her seat. "He's big, but not very fast."

I nodded. "Good job," I told her.

She smiled. "Thanks."

The class ended after that, so we got a quick lunch before our Kido class, where we learned about some of the incantations for different Kido spells. In the Hoho course, we started on the very basics of flashstep. In that class, I learned a couple basic tricks than I never knew, but greatly increased my skill in flashstep.

The next day, the only thing I was looking forward to was meditating with our Zanpakuto. I had deducted that the place I had seen in the dream was my 'Inner World', and that the falcon is my Zanpakuto Spirit, and he was trying to tell me his name.

"Good, I see that you have all brought your Zanpakuto today," the teacher told us when we all arrived at the correct courtyard. "Everyone, find a place to sit and place your Zanpakuto on your laps," he added.

We all nodded and sat around the courtyard. I sat atop a large boulder and drew my Zanpakuto, laying it across my lap and placing my hands on the blade.

"To begin your meditation, relax your minds," the teacher told us.

I didn't hear anything after that, though, because I was then draw into my Inner World, where I stood upon a pillar and held my Zanpakuto in my hand.

"So, you have come here again," the falcon stated when I saw him.

I nodded. "Yes, I have. I realized yesterday afternoon that you are in fact my Zanpakuto Spirit," I told him.

He nodded. "So, you're not too bad," he stated.

I bowed deeply to him. "What is your name?" I asked him.

"My name is…" he began, and the wind silenced as he told me his name.

I nodded as I heard it. "It is an honor to meet you," I told him before I left my Inner World.

"Ah, so you've returned!" the teacher said when he saw me open my eyes.

I nodded. "How long have I been meditating?" I asked him.

"The entire class time. The class is about over," he told me. "Did you enter your Inner World?" he asked me.

I nodded. "Yeah, it's windy in there," was all I said before walking out with everyone else. Every week on the dot I would spend the entire class in my Inner World, where I would secretly train with my released Zanpakuto. We continued like this for about two months until we went on a trip to the World of the Living.

* * *

**A/N: Hello, readers! As promised, I got two more reviews, so here's the latest chapter! Sorry I didn't update sooner, I kept getting an error message. Anyway, Takumi and Haruka have now started classes, and they're going to the World of the Living soon! Woo! See you guys next time!**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: World of the Living

I'll start this a few days before we left on the trip, though, to include more information.

About three days before the trip we were finally practicing real Kido, using Hado #31: Shakkaho.

"I'll send you up, three people at a time," our instructor told us. "You are to aim at a target, recite the incantation, and make sure to regulate the energy in it."

We all nodded, so he selected me as well as two other people.

We all went to separated areas, where we lifted our hands and focused our energy as we recited the incantation.

"Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march on to the south! Hado #31: Shakkaho!" I recited as a sphere of crimson red energy formed. When I finished speaking I made sure it had the right amount of energy in it before it flew from my hands and reduced my target to ash.

"Oops, too much power," I muttered. The attacks were supposed to only blacken the targets, not destroy them.

"Good job executing the Kido, but you need to work on regulating your energy," the teacher told me as I returned to my seat.

I bowed. "Thank you."

Haruka was part of the next group called up, and she executed the Kido technique perfectly and returned to her seat.

"Good job," I told her.

She smiled. "Thanks."

I nodded as we watched one spell go haywire, exploding and covering everything nearby in ash, as well as charring the user's hair. No more damage was done, though, so the teacher just lectured him on what he did wrong.

After that, in our Zanjutsu class, we started our second week of training with our Zanpakuto. We were ahead of the planned schedule, so we would be going on a trip to the world of the living to practice the Konso ritual three days later. Three upperclassmen would be accompanying us, and if anything went wrong, Captain Shiba and Lieutenant Matsumoto would be on standby, waiting for the call.

"I can't believe it, we finally get to go to the world of the living!" I exclaimed after class.

"Yeah, yeah, don't get ahead of yourself," Haruka told me. I just laughed as we continued to lunch.

Three days later was the trip, and we all gathered in front of the Senkaimon, waiting to get through.

"Alright, stay close to us and try to keep up with us," the upperclassmen told us as the doors opened and fifty-three Hell Butterflies flew with us as we went. They made sure we got through safely and arrived on time at what looked to be an industrial area.

"Alright, listen up!" one of the upperclassmen told us. "We're going to separate you into twenty-five groups of two. You will all face dummy Hollows, and are expected to kill them and successfully perform Konsos on the Pluses you encounter. Remember, this is a graded trip, so don't goof around," he explained. "The three of us are here to maintain the barrier protecting us and to take care of injuries. Are we clear?"

"YES, SIR!" we replied before they split us up. Haruka and I were both put in a pair and set off, destroying any fake Hollows. They were basically giant animated plush Hollows, and very easy to take down.

We had both performed a Konso when I sensed the spiritual pressures of two of the upperclassmen disappear. The third spiked for a few seconds in alarm before it vanished as well and we could hear the howls of Hollows in the air.

"That's not good," I muttered as I jumped up onto a large pipe to see several dozen Hollows flood into the area. "Crap."

"How long will it take the Captain and Lieutenant to get here?" Haruka asked me as she used Shakkaho to shoot down a Hollow.

"No clue, probably a couple minutes," I replied, using Shakkaho as well to destroy quite a few Hollows.

That display of power, though, just drew more Hollows to where I was.

"Great, absolutely fantastic," I snapped sarcastically as I saw more students fire spells and attack as well. I joined in, and managed to use my skill in flashstep to get past every Hollow's defenses and kill each one I came across until I saw the Senkaimon doors open and Captain Shiba and Lieutenant Matsumoto stepped through.

"Everyone, get back!" Captain Shiba yelled at us as he drew his Zanpakuto.

We all leaped away as he focused on his Zanpakuto. "Burn, Engetsu!" he commanded. His spiritual energy spiked, but his Zanpakuto didn't change in appearance except that the tassels grew in length and glowed with energy.

Matsumoto nodded and drew her Zanpakuto as well. "Growl, Haineko!" she commanded. The blade turned to ash, which spread out to many Hollows. The moment the ash touched a mask, that Hollow died.

Captain Shiba smiled at her. "Hey, Rangiku! Leave some of them for me, will ya?" he shouted toward her.

She smiled and stepped back. "Go ahead, Captain," she said.

He grinned and held his Zanpakuto in front of him as spiritual energy gathered around it. "Getsuga…" he began as the energy grew even more, "…Tensho!" he finished, slicing the air in front of him. The energy flew out, destroying all of the Hollows we could see.

We started cheering for their success when I saw another Hollow appear behind him. I had just started to form my bow out of instinct when a different Quincy arrow flew up and destroyed it. I followed the arrow's trajectory back to its origin, and instead of a Quincy like I expected, I only found a long metal device with a cross on it and a book with a note on top. I hid them in my robes, being the first there, and looked behind me as Captain Shiba arrived.

"Takumi? You're a…?" he asked me, stunned my appearance.

I shook my head. "No. I was the closest person to this position and raced to get here before the person could escape," I told him, bowing deeply.

He studied me for a minute before the rest of the students arrived as well as Lieutenant Matsumoto. "Did you manage to see him?" he asked me.

I shook my head. "No, he escaped before I could arrive," I replied. It was actually a lie, because I caught a glimpse of white hair before the figure disappeared.

He nodded and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry about it. By the way, good job to all of you for dealing with the Hollows until we could arrive, you have our thanks," he told all of us before pulling out a device and pressing a few buttons. The Senkaimon doors appeared again and the Captain and Lieutenant carried the upperclassmen's bodies as we followed a group of Hell Butterflies to the Soul Society again.

"What happened?" some Soul Reapers asked Captain Shiba when we arrived.

"Hollows broke through the barrier and attacked the students," he explained as some Squad Four members took away the upperclassmen. Among them was Hanataro, and he was relieved when he saw me among the group. As he left I could tell that one of his next stops would be to Koharu, whom I hadn't seen since my first day at the Academy. Since then, I had grown slightly, become more muscular, and my hair had become much shaggier.

"Are you all okay?" Lieutenant Matsumoto asked us. All the girls and I nodded, while the guys admired her…figure. She just nodded and walked away.

"Alright, you guys should return to your rooms and relax after what you've been through, okay?" Captain Shiba asked us.

We all nodded, but he came with us to make sure we all returned to our rooms safely.

"It's been good seeing you again, Takumi," Captain Shiba told me when we reached my room.

I bowed. "Good to see you, too, Captain Shiba," I replied. "Hopefully, when I graduate, I'll be able to join Squad Ten and rise through the ranks so that we will be able to fight together as equals."

He smiled. "I look forward to it," he said before walking away.

When I got to my room Akaguu leaped at my head, as usual, and I pet his back for a few minutes before I remembered the strange device and the book. I pulled them both out and read the note on it:

_'Dear Reader,_

_The moment you crossed over into the World of the Living, I could sense your energy and I knew it was that of a Quincy, yet distorted somehow. I rushed to your location and found dozens of Soul Reapers training, and you were among them. I even saw you use a Kido technique against a Hollow. I don't know how you came to possess the powers of both a Soul Reaper and a Quincy, but I wish for you to learn the way of the Quincy, even if you insist on also being a Soul Reaper. I believe, though, that Quincies and Soul Reapers will eventually be able to coincide with each other, although I do not know how long it will take for this._

_You are my hope for this. From the bow you started to form, I know that you can use it, but not from the Reishi surrounding you. This book will teach you everything you need to know for how to be a Quincy. The item that came with it is known as a "Seele Schneider", and it is a powerful Quincy weapon. This book also explains how to use it._

_Use this book and your abilities to your greatest potential, and you will never ruin the Pride of the Quincies._

_Soken Ishida'_

"Wow," I whispered to myself. My first thought was how he was able to write the entire thing in such little time, but then my thoughts settled on the book. I opened it and began reading the first section, the history of the Quincies.

Once I got tired of reading the book, I marked my page and set the book under my bed so that it would at least be semi-protected.

I then detached my Zanpakuto from the sash securing it, placing it (in its sheath) on my lap. I had several hours before I needed to be anywhere, so I might as well do some training with my Shikai. I haven't used it outside my Inner World so that I could surprise everyone during my test at the end of the year to determine how many levels I should be elevated. Everyone takes it, but some have even been able to graduate in a single year. That was my goal, but my Hakuda wouldn't be good enough to allow me to graduate in that single year, but two should be enough.

"Akaguu, I need you to guard the door for me," I told Akaguu. He just looked at me before running out the slip in the window that allows him to come and go as he pleases. I rolled my eyes and closed my eyes, entering a meditative state.

"So, you've come back," my Zanpakuto Spirit said when I arrived. "When will you stop insisting on training here and work with the others?" he asked me.

I shrugged. "I don't want to reveal my power yet," I replied.

He nodded, at least I think he did, and flew over to me. "Today, I will help you reduce the size of my unreleased form," he told me. "I dislike being in such a large form, it decreases my speed."

I smiled but nodded as he showed me how to further reduce the size of my Zanpakuto blade until it was the size of an average katana. He also taught me how to quickly return it to its lengthened form if I'm against an opponent with greater physical strength so that I will be able to build up power in the larger blade.

"Now, do you believe you have fully mastered summoning my Shikai?" he asked me afterwards.

I nodded and released the Shikai form with his name and the release phrase. I'm not telling you the name or what it looks like until later, though, to make the surprise even better when I finally do.

He nodded and examined it. "Very good. I will now teach you the first technique you can use with my Shikai," he told me. He flew up into the air, and Reishi formed around his wings. He flapped them once and multiple projectiles flew from them, shaped like his feathers.

"Whoa!" I exclaimed, using my blades to block the projectiles. "Watch where you're aiming those things! You're supposed to teach me, not try to kill me!" I yelled at him.

He narrowed his eyes at me. "I am using a teaching technique you are familiar with," he told me. "You learned flashstep in this identical manner. The Soul Reapers were chasing you with flashstep, and after long enough you learned to copy their techniques. It worked then, and it will work now," he explained.

I rolled my eyes but nodded as I carefully studied his attacks, watching as he formed blades with his energy, then launching them at me. It took a full month of this to master the basics, and another month to master it completely. When I did, I was so happy while meditating that my outburst of energy blew everyone nearby back by several feet.

"Did you manage to learn your Zanpakuto's name?" the teacher asked me, caught off-guard as well.

I opened my eyes and shook my head. As far as all of them but Haruka know, I have only been able to see it, not contact it. I told Haruka because she could tell I was lying when I told that to the teacher, and I didn't want to lose her as a friend. She's never seen my Shikai before.

"I was able to get it to speak to me," I told him.

He frowned. "What did he say?" he asked me.

"He said, 'You're younger than I expected'," I replied, making up a random phrase.

The teacher sighed and nodded before we left for our next class.

The next several months seemed to go by fast. At the end of the first month, I had almost mastered the concept of using the Seele Schneider and carried it strapped to the inside of my left arm in case of emergencies, although I rarely practiced so that I wouldn't attract attention. As we got into harder techniques in our Zanjutsu class, I picked them up easily, although Haruka had troubles keeping up. I started helping her train to keep up, and in exchange, she helped me with healing Kido. I was absolutely horrible at it, unlike Hado techniques, but she was very good at it, so she helped me with it. Through our tutoring of each other, we both rose in skill. By the time of the yearly Recruitment Fair, we were both near the top of our class.

For those of you who don't know what it is, every year representatives from each Division of the 13 Court Squads as well as from the Onmitsukido and Kido Corps. It's optional for lower-classmen, but for all upper-classmen, it's mandatory so that they can have a choice in where they go after they graduate.

"So, do you think you're gonna go to the Fair?" Haruka asked me the morning of. There were no classes that day so that nobody would miss out on anything.

I shrugged. "Probably. I might just visit the Squad Four booth to see if it's anybody I know," I replied.

She smiled. "I'm thinking about going, just to see if any of the Squads stand out to me," she replied.

I nodded. "That's a good idea, I'll do that, too," I agreed.

After we finished breakfast we went to the main courtyard at the Academy, where fifteen stalls were set up for the different groups.

"Where do you wanna begin?" Haruka asked me when we arrived.

I shrugged and pointed to the stall for Squad One. "Might as well start with number one," I told her.

She nodded and we walked over to it, where a man was handing out flyers. "Ah, hello! How are you on this fine day?" he asked us as we approached.

We smiled. "Very good, thank you," we replied, accepting the flyers and looking through them before moving on to Squad Two's booth. I don't know how she did it, but Captain Sui-Feng managed to get her Lieutenant to man the booth.

"Hello, here are your fly—hey, Takumi!" Lieutenant Omaeda exclaimed when he saw me.

I smiled. "Hello, Lieutenant Omaeda," I replied, shaking his outstretched hand.

He grinned. "So, I didn't know you joined the Soul Reaper Academy!" he said. "Captain Sui-Feng is one of the people overseeing the examination, but she never tells me stuff like that," he explained. "I had been wondering why I hadn't seen you around in so long."

I smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I've been here that entire time," I replied.

Haruka's eyes widened during that entire conversation. "Seriously? How many seated officers do you know personally?" she asked me.

I counted them off in my head. "All Captains and Lieutenants except for those of 1, 12, 3, and 5," I replied. I've met Captain Yamamoto, but I don't know him enough to be casual, I never really liked Captain Kurotsuchi, and there was always something about Captains Ichimaru and Aizen that creeped me out.

Her jaw dropped slightly. "So, you know nine Captains and Lieutenants on a casual basis?" she asked me.

I shrugged as we passed the Squad Three booth and took the flyers. "Well, not on a casual basis, but yeah," I told her.

"Which Captain do you think you like best?" she asked me.

I shrugged. "I would rather avoid that question, as one of the candidates is standing next to us," I replied as we reached the Fourth Squad booth, where Captain Unohana herself was handing out flyers to students. When she saw us she smiled and held out two flyers. "Hello, it's nice to see the two of you again," she told us as we accepted the flyers. Haruka, I heard that you have a talent with healing Kido."

Haruka smiled and nodded as we moved on to the Fifth Squad's booth.

"So, who's your least favorite Captain?" Haruka asked me as we moved on to Squad Six.

"Captain Kurotsuchi," I replied immediately. "I hate how he looks at me, like I'm a lab subject.

"That is simply because I still cannot recall where I have sensed your spiritual pressure before," Captain Kurotsuchi stated as he appeared behind us.

We spun around, startled by his appearance. "C-Captain Kurotsuchi! You s-surprised me!" I stuttered out of surprise.

He sneered at me. "Yes, I can tell. Since we last met, I have developed a theory on your spiritual pressure, but I still need to research more before I can be sure," he told me.

I snarled at him. "It's a good thing you're the head of the Research and Development sector," I told him.

He openly frowned at me as his hands neared his Zanpakuto. "Watch your tongue, boy," he snapped before walking away, his Lieutenant quickly following.

"I see why you don't like him," Haruka commented as we arrived at the Squad Seven booth, where someone was handing out the flyers.

"Out of all these choices, which Squad would you prefer to join after you graduate the Academy?" Haruka asked me as Squad Nine's booth.

I paused in thought. "Hmm…probably…Squad Ten," I replied. "Captain Shiba is pretty cool, and his Lieutenant is really nice."

"Aw, thanks, Takumi!" a loud voice said as we saw Lieutenant Matsumoto at the Squad Ten booth. "I hope you join Squad Ten, too!"

I smiled and nodded. "Sure, but I'll make sure to avoid your parties," I replied. "I've heard stories from Squad Four members about them."

She rolled her eyes innocently. "I have no idea what you're talking about," she stated. I just smiled and grabbed a flyer and moved on to the booth for Squad Eleven. Captain Zaraki wasn't there (I didn't expect him to be), and instead, Yachiru was there.

"Taku! It's been so long, Taku!" Yachiru cheered when she saw me.

I nodded and smiled hesitantly. Her enthusiasm can become annoying at times. "Yeah, it's been a while, Yachiru," I replied as she sat on a stool so that she could see over the table. "I'm surprised you aren't with Captain Zaraki."

She shrugged. "Kenny doesn't really like going to this place, and every once in a while one of the top two seats in each Squad has to go, so I went!" she explained.

"So, Yachiru, why do you call Takumi 'Taku'?" Haruka began to ask when I clamped my hand over her mouth to shut off her speech.

Yachiru grinned, having heard most of it. "Well, that's what I call him! I give everyone nicknames, and that's his!" she explained.

Haruka smiled as we moved on to Twelfth Squad's booth, but I just kept moving since Kurotsuchi was there.

"Ah, hello, Takumi!" Captain Ukitake said when he saw me.

I nodded and accepted the flyer. "Aren't there usually less Captains here than usual?" I asked him. "From stories I heard, there's occasionally one, and I've met three so far."

He smiled and nodded. "Ah, yes, about that," he said. "Every Captain is required to run their own booth once every ten years. Captain Unohana does it every year because she enjoys it, and most of us are doing it now because we haven't done it yet, and this is the final of ten years. You should have seen it when Captain Yamamoto shows up, that booth is always crowded."

I smiled, imagining it. "It definitely sounds interesting," I replied.

Haruka got to us right then. "Another Captain?" she said, shocked.

Captain Ukitake nodded. "Yes, it's nice to meet you," he said, handing her a flyer. "Do you have any questions about my Squad?" he asked her.

"Um, what is the duty of your Squad?" she asked him.

He smiled. "That's an excellent question," he replied. "My Squad protects several areas in the World of the Living, and in times of emergency, we aid in the protection of the Seireitei."

She nodded and we looked at the two booths for the Stealth Force and Kido Corps. They didn't have much, although Captain Sui-Feng was at the Stealth Force booth.

"Let me guess, you haven't done your required time at the booth?" I asked her.

She frowned. "You need to respect your superiors, Takumi Shimizu. Your mother respected people, and it got her places," she told me.

I sneered at her. I hate it when she uses my mother as an example for me.

"Wait, your mom was a Soul Reaper?" Haruka asked me. I had forgotten that I had never told her about my mother.

I nodded. "Yeah, she was the Eighth Seat in Squad Two," I replied.

Her jaw dropped slightly. "So, that explains your skill in flashstep, but not in Hakuda," she replied. I'm at the top for our Hoho class, but I'm near the middle for Hakuda.

Captain Sui-Feng narrowed her eyes. "So, your flashstep has improved?" she asked me.

I shrugged, but Haruka intervened. "Absolutely! On his best day, he beat the teacher!" she said.

I rolled my eyes. "He was holding back," I replied. "I had seen him go way faster before."

We continued the argument a few minutes longer before leaving the Fair and hanging out in a forested area, where there were also training areas.

"So, will you finally show me your Shikai?" Haruka asked me as we got ready to practice our Zanjutsu.

I smiled. "I will when you achieve Shikai so that we may both fight with them," I replied as I drew my Zanpakuto, which is now the length of an ordinary katana, and got into my stance. We soon began fighting while making sure not to injure. I had her disarmed and defeated in five moves, though. I don't know how, but I can see just the smallest hints as to an opponent's attack, and I use that to defeat my opponent. Our Zanjutsu teacher calls it the 'Gift of the Warrior' when I talked to him about it.

Our end-of-year test took place a few months later, and when it was time for it, we were both excited.

* * *

**A/N: Hello again, everyone! I'm baaaaaaaack! I'm going to be adding quite a few chapters right now to make up for not updating in so long, so be prepared!**

**See ya next time!**

**~dicarten_ice**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: End-of-Year Testing

Let me explain more about the end-of-year testing more before we actually get back to the story. At the end of each year that a student has been at the Academy, he or she must take a test. Depending on each person's score, he or she will be elevated a certain amount of levels. A perfect score means that you instantly graduate. That's what I was aiming for when I took the test.

The day of our tests, Haruka had her test scheduled immediately before mine, so we walked to the testing area together.

"Good luck!" I told Haruka as she was called into one of the rooms that testing takes place in.

She nodded and smiled as she walked into the room. I sat down in a chair to wait for her to finish her testing, and near the end of her testing, an hour later, I felt her spiritual pressure spike far higher than the first time we met, which showed how much more powerful she had gotten over the year.

A few minutes later she walked back out and my name was called.

"How'd you do?" I asked her.

She shrugged. "I'll tell you later," she told me, although from the look in her eyes, she wasn't happy. I didn't spend any more time to think about it, though, because my name was called right then.

I walked through the door and sat at the desk in front of me, which had a packet of questions and writing utensils to use.

"Please, take as much time as you need to answer the questions," a person told me as I sat down. He must've been making sure I didn't cheat or anything.

I picked up my writing utensil and began answering as many questions as I could. I didn't know them all, unfortunately, but I tried my best for all of them.

"Finished?" he asked me forty-five minutes later as I pushed the packet toward him.

I nodded and he showed me to a courtyard, where one of the Kido teachers was waiting.

"Please, demonstrate one Hado spell, one Bakudo spell, and one healing Kido," he told me, gesturing toward an area with targets, the teacher himself for the Bakudo, and somebody with a broken arm lying on a mat. There was a Squad Four member nearby in case anything went wrong.

"I'll start with Hado," I replied, drawing my Zanpakuto. I had recently learned of a new Hado technique that I have shown much talent for, and I like to use it. I focused my hand behind the blade and began the incantation. At the end, I added, "Hado #32: Okasen!"

Energy gathered around my blade during the incantation, and when I finished speaking a ray of yellow energy launched itself from the blade, destroying multiple targets and severely burning the wall behind it.

"Now, Bakudo?" the teacher asked me as I walked toward him.

I nodded. "I'm sorry if this hurts," I told him, pointing a finger at him. I had actually forgotten the incantation to this one. "Bakudo #1: Sai!" I commanded. His arms locked behind his back, and no matter how much he struggled, he didn't escape until I released the spell.

"Very…impressive," he panted as he recovered from resisting the spell. "Now, healing."

I nodded and hesitantly walked toward the injured person. I felt bad for whoever volunteered for this, especially for this one. I'm not the greatest at healing Kido.

"Don't forget, I'm here if anything goes wrong," the Squad Four person told me.

I nodded and lowered my hands until they were an inch above the broken leg. I began the process to funnel healing Kido, and a green glow enveloped us as I slowly but surely healed his leg. By the end of the testing he looked relieved and his leg was healed.

"I still suggest you have a second look at it," I told the Squad Four member as I was directed to an area for my Hakuda and Hoho testing. I was given a short break to recover from the Kido before I was directed to the area where the Hakuda teacher is.

"Try as hard as you can to beat me," she told me. I nodded and made sure to use my energy to augment my speed and agility as I used flashstep to send several rapid attacks at her, although she blocked them all. I tried as hard as I could for a solid ten minutes before she actually started trying, knocking me to the ground. I wasn't too tired out from it because I just used some of my spiritual energy to ease any sores and make sure I wasn't tired as I moved on to the Zanjutsu portion, which Captains Zaraki and Shiba would be overseeing.

"You are to show us the full extent of your relationship with your Zanpakuto, including Shikai if you have achieved it," Captain Shiba told me.

I nodded and focused on my Zanpakuto.

"So, are you finally going to show off?" the Spirit asked as I summoned him.

I nodded and smiled. "Yeah, I am," I replied before gripping the hilt tightly in both hands. "Soar, Hisan Taka!" I roared. The slight breeze around us increased in speed and strength until it almost blew all the papers away, when it died down to reveal Hisan Taka's Shikai form. It was between the length of a katana and a nodachi, and was much wider. The edge had ridges, shaped like a falcon's feathers.

"That's a first," Captain Shiba muttered. "It usually takes more than a year to achieve Shikai," he added. "How long have you been able to do this?" he asked me.

I thought back to the first time I summoned the Shikai in my Inner World. "Since…our first meditation class with our Zanpakuto," I replied.

Mutters spread throughout the line of teachers that would be examining as well. My teacher looked infuriated that I lied, but I didn't really care.

Captain Shiba nodded, impressed. "Show us your full ability with your Shikai," he told me.

I nodded and focused on the sword, facing several dummy targets. "Hisan Taka: Umou Yaiba!" I commanded, using the first attack that Hisan Taka taught me.

Light gathered around the edge of the blade, and when I swung it, several dozen energy daggers flew out, glowing blue as they struck the targets, impaling them all.

"Impressive," Captain Shiba commented. "Is there anything else you can do with it?" he asked me.

I smiled and nodded. The air around me picked up in speed, and when I swung my Zanpakuto again, I launched waves of air that solidified into miniature tornados. I was never told the name of the attack. Also, I focused on the air around me as I used it to more than double the speed of my flashstep, almost moving faster than a Lieutenant's speed.

"Impressive," Captain Shiba added. "He's using his power over the air to increase his speed." I nodded to confirm his theory.

He smiled as a Soul Reaper walked out onto the field. "You are to face this Soul Reaper in combat," he told me.

"Seriously? A full-fledged Soul Reaper?" I demanded.

He nodded and looked at the Soul Reaper. He nodded and dove at me, Zanpakuto already drawn. I blocked his attack and swung at his waist. He easily blocked it and countered with a feint to my right, and then going for my left, where I was completely open.

"Oh, I forgot to show you one more feature of Hisan Taka's Shikai form," I added as I reached into my top robe with my left hand and pulled out a short blade that I blocked with.

"Impressive, very nice block," Hisan Taka said in my head. I smiled and launched the Soul Reaper back with a large gust of air.

"Interesting," Captain Zaraki muttered as I continued to fight the Soul Reaper.

The fight continued for five more minutes, when I used Shakkaho to launch him back.

"He uses Kido well while fighting," Captain Shiba commented. Zaraki just shrugged and continued to watch. Fortunately, I was at the top of my class in that area, so I continued to fight against him. It turns out he wasn't able to use Shikai, though, but made up for it through sheer ability. The fight lasted about thirty more minutes until the Soul Reaper had run out of energy. I had enough spiritual pressure, though, that I ended up winning the fight, albeit barely.

"Congratulations on winning your fight," Captain Shiba told me. "We will send you your results tomorrow," he added.

I nodded and bowed. "Thank you, Captains," I replied before walking out. I returned my Shikai to its sword form, although it was different this time. The entire sword, including the scabbard, had turned completely white. In my opinion, it made it look even cooler.

"What took you so long?" Haruka asked me when she saw me walking out.

"The practical testing took a while," I replied.

She nodded. "I sensed your spiritual pressure spike earlier," she told me. "Are you okay?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I just blew the Captains' minds," I told her.

She raised an eyebrow. "Shikai?" she asked.

I nodded. "Shikai."

We received our results the next day via Hell Butterflies that arrived at each of our rooms right when we woke up.

"Akaguu, don't attack it!" I yelled at Akaguu as he leaped at the Butterfly. It dodged his attack, though, and landed smoothly on my finger.

"Your tests results have been processed," the voice from it said. "You got 90 points out of a possible 100. Because of this, you have been elevated to the sixth-year level. You will continue to stay in this room, and all students officially have a week of free time, starting the moment this message ends. During this time, you are also expected to get extra learning supplies."

I smiled as it flew away. It wasn't as good as I hoped, but it was still good.

"Looks like we'll be going to see Koharu later," I told Akaguu as he jumped into my arms. He just made his twittering noise as I rubbed his head.

There was a knock at the door a few seconds later. "Door's open," I called. I sensed the spiritual pressure as Haruka's, and my hunch was proven right as she walked in.

"Hey, I just got my results," she told me.

I smiled. "Me, too. What were yours?" I asked her.

"I've been elevated to fifth-year," she replied.

I nodded. "Congrats," I said.

"What were your results?" she asked me.

"Sixth-year," I replied.

She broke out in a grin. "Congrats!" she told me. "I knew you would do well!"

I smiled. "Thanks. You did pretty well yourself," I told her.

She shrugged. "Yeah, only with you helping me. If it weren't for you, I would've failed the Zanjutsu part," she explained.

I nodded. "Well, if it weren't for you, I wouldn't have done very well in healing Kido," I replied. "Anyways, what are you going to do for the week off?" I asked her.

She shrugged. "I'll probably just stay around here and get more supplies for my next year," she replied. "You?"

"I'll probably spend some time with Koharu and Hanataro, as well as getting more supplies as well," I told her. "You're welcome to join us, if you wish," I added.

She smiled and nodded. "I'd like that, thanks," she told me.

I nodded and packed enough things for a couple weeks at Koharu's before meeting Haruka outside my room, Akaguu wrapped around my neck and sleeping.

"Ready to go?" Haruka asked me when she got there. She also had a bag of clothes with her as well.

I nodded and adjusted my bag on my back while making sure not to awaken Akaguu. "Let's go, then," I told her as we started walking out of the building. "Do you still remember how to get to Squad Four Barracks?" I asked her.

She rolled her eyes. "Of course I do, just make sure to keep up," she told me before using flashstep for a headstart.

"You asked for it," I said as I moved Akaguu so that he was in my arms, then took off for Fourth Squad as fast as I could, using all of my shortcuts to cut the time in half, although I scared a few Soul Reapers and almost ran into a large wall that hadn't been there a year previously. I still arrived with plenty of time to spare.

"Hey, Takumi!" I heard a familiar voice call from behind me. I turned around just in time for Hanataro to tackle me in a hug. "I missed you so much, Takumi!" he screamed at the top of his lungs, getting attention from everyone else in the area.

"I missed you too, Hanataro, but can you let me go now?" I asked him as I used up my remaining breath that he had squeezed out of me. "Kinda...can't...breathe..." I gasped out.

He giggled and released me. He always does that when he's excited. "Hehe...sorry about that. Anyway, where's Haruka?" he asked me. "I thought she was coming as well."

"I'm...here..." I heard Haruka pant when she arrived.

"She's still getting used to using flashstep over large distances," I explained to Hanataro.

He smiled and nodded. "Heck, I don't even know flashstep so you're doing pretty well."

She nodded and thanked him before we walked inside and to the house, where Akaguu jumped off my shoulders and ran around the outer courtyard, twittering in happiness as he ran up the cherry tree next to the house.

"Wow, it looks like nothing changed here," I whispered as I took it all in.

"We make sure to keep the yard in good condition," Hanataro explained. "Captain Unohana likes the cherry blossoms."

I smiled and nodded before we walked inside, where Koharu was waiting for me, hand on her hip.

"You're later than expected," she snapped.

* * *

**A/N: I'm back again! Well, it seems Takumi has managed to elevate himself to the sixth year! Yay! I'm sorry if the description of the Academy isn't good, there are very few details on the finer workings of the Academy.**

**Anyway, until next time!**

**~dicarten_ice**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Koharu

I shrugged. "I got held up," I replied, trying not to be the first one to smile. Akaguu helped me out, though, by jumping onto Koharu's shoulder. She burst out laughing and I soon followed as she rubbed Akaguu's head.

"What was that about?" Haruka whispered to me.

I shrugged. "It was Koharu being...Koharu, I guess," I replied before I was drawn into a hug by Koharu.

"I missed you, Takumi," she told me.

I smiled. "I missed you, too," I replied before she released me and stepped back.

"You've grown," she stated, examining me. "It also looks like somebody's been cutting your hair. I hope they survived."

I smiled. I hate people touching my hair.

Haruka stepped forward. "That would be me, Ms. Koharu," she said. Whenever she cut my hair, she had to tie me to a chair with Reishi-limiting rope so that I couldn't use my spiritual pressure to break out. During that time, she would grab a nearby set of scissors and do as much as she could before I managed to overcome the rope and break out, fleeing for the rooftops.

Koharu smiled gently. "Of course, thank you for keeping him out of trouble, Haruka," she told her.

"No problem," she replied. "We've actually helped each other quite a bit with our classes. Takumi assisted me in my Zanjutsu, and I helped him with his healing Kido."

Koharu smiles when she heard it. "I'm not surprised," she replied. "Takumi's always been more a fighter. If he were more of a muscle head, I could see him joining Squad Eleven."

I shook my head. "Never. They treat the other Squads horribly, especially Squad Four. Besides, all of their Shikai are physical, and mine is Kido-based," I explained.

Koharu looked at me with doubt. "You've achieved Shikai?" she asked me.

"Yeah, he has," Haruka told her. "I could sense his pressure skyrocket during the testing, and everyone in the area could tell he was using Shikai. He won't show me until I've managed to reach it, though."

"It's a good way to motivate her while we train," I explained. "Speaking of which, I don't think I've ever seen your Shikai."

She shrugged. "I don't really use my Shikai, it's not suited for healing," she told me.

I raised an eyebrow. "Why's that?" I asked her.

"It's more suited for combat than healing," she replied. "I only use it in dangerous situations."

I chuckled. "I bet I could still take you, despite your Shikai," I stated.

She raised her eyebrow. "Oh, I highly doubt that. You just achieved Shikai, what, a month ago? I've had it for over twenty years."

"A month? Try almost a year," I told her, beginning to unsheathe my blade.

She smiled. "You sure you want to do this, Takumi?" she asked me.

I nodded. "I guess I can break my rule about waiting to reveal my Shikai for this occasion," I replied.

She chuckled and grabbed her Zanpakuto, attaching it to her waist. "We'll go to the Academy Training Grounds," she told me before we left the house for the Academy.

"Hello, Takumi," Captain Unohana said as we walked by her. "How was your year at the Academy?"

"Very good, thank you," I replied.

She smiled and nodded. "Where are the two of you going?" she asked when she saw that Koharu had her Zanpakuto with her.

"We're going to do some training," Koharu told her. "Takumi has a misguided belief that he can beat me in a duel, so we're going to disprove that theory."

She nodded. "If you need any medical attention afterward, you are welcome here," she told us.

We bowed to her and walked out as she watched us. We went straight to the Academy Training Grounds, where many students were still training. They paused when they saw us, watching as we went to a large training arena.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Koharu asked me.

I nodded, grinning as I drew my Zanpakuto. "What, are you afraid of losing?" I asked her.

She just laughed and drew her own blade. "You asked for it," she replied before leaping at me.

I chuckled and blocked her attacks, although I was struggling to keep up with her. There was clearly a skill and experience gap separating us, but I was going to do my best to win anyways.

"It's about time to blow some minds," I stated as I held my blade sideways. "Soar, Hisan Taka!" I commanded. I became surrounded in a small tornado, and when it faded, Hisan Taka was in his Shikai form.

Her eyes widened slightly. "A Wind-type?" she whispered to herself before she recovered. She held her Zanpakuto vertically, and held her hand at the tip, slowly moving it downward as she yelled, "Blossom, Kasari Yuri!"

She became engulfed in an inferno of flames, and when it faded she was holding a war fan, edged in steel with picture of a fire lily on it.

"Impressive, a Fire-type Zanpakuto," I stated as numerous students gathered to watch. "Too bad Hisan Taka can control the air," I added before launching myself at her, energy gathering at the edge to add power.

We fought for several minutes, on par with each other, before Koharu swung her fan, launching a wall of flames at me.

"Whoa!" I yelled as I leaped backward, creating a makeshift wall of air to shield me from the flames. "So, I can't get close to you without getting burned," I muttered. "It's too bad I can hit with long-range attacks," I stated. "Hisan Taka, Umou Yaiba!" I yelled. One of my Quincy pendants started to glow as I used the Reishi surrounding me to power up the attack. The blades soared through the flames, but her fan deflected them.

"That attack, it looked like..." she whispered, noticing the similarity to my Quincy arrows.

I nodded. "Yup," I told her before creating multiple tornadoes that I launched at her, throwing her into the air. She deftly landed in midair, though, focusing her Spirit Energy beneath her so that she could stay there.

We continued to fight for ten more minutes before I used Umou Yaiba again, but with ten times the power than previously. I spun in a circle as I did so, launching the feather blades in every direction around me so that she couldn't evade them.

"Hono shirudo!" Koharu yelled as she created a wall of flames to deflect the blades.

I just used an air vacuum to get rid of the flames, though, and stopped the blades less than a second before they would've hit her. "Do you yield?" I asked her.

She shook her head. "Never," she told me, swatting away the blades and rushing at me, flames gathering around her fan. She pretended to attack my left side, causing me to turn that way before she changed direction, attacking my right side.

I pulled out my smaller blade and blocked her fan, but the heat coming from the fan was beginning to overwhelm me so I had to leap away, using my control over air to launch her away from me so that I could clear my mind.

"You know, you still have the Seele Schneider," Hisan Taka told me in my mind.

I shook my head. "They'd figure out what it is," I replied in my head. "It'd be a dead giveaway."

"Not if you don't give anyone a chance to make the connection," he told me.

I sighed. "I hate it when you're right," I muttered before sheathing the smaller blade and drawing the Seele Schneider from its place strapped to my arm, activating it.

Koharu froze when she saw it. "What's that?" she demanded.

"A trick of mine," I told her, jumping toward her. I swung the blades at her, and she blocked Hisan Taka while dodging the Seele Schneider. I could tell she didn't recognize it, but could tell that it was more dangerous than a Zanpakuto.

With the Seele Schneider in play, I managed to end the fight quickly, holding it to her Zanpakuto and Hisan Taka to her throat. "Do you yield now?" I asked her.

She sighed. "Yeah, I yield," she stated, returning her Zanpakuto to its sealed form as I did the same with Hisan Taka and deactivated the Seele Schneider, restrapping it to the inside of my arm.

"What was that blade?" she asked me as we walked back to the house, Hanataro and Haruka following closely behind.

"A secret," I replied. "Nobody else knows about it. I found it on a trip to the World of the Living. All I can tell you is that it's a Quincy artifact."

Her eyes widened at the word 'Quincy'. "If somebody discovers that, you will be in major trouble," she replied.

I shook my head. "No, I won't. I can power it with my own Spirit Energy as well as the Energy around me, so if anybody raises questions about it, I can just say I found it lying around and figured it out by myself. I'm the top in my class, so they'll believe me," I explained.

Koharu remained silent until we reached the Fourth Squad Barracks, when we went to the cafeteria to get lunch. She talked to a few other people while we got food, and finally started talking to me again afterward.

"I don't think you should use that weapon anymore," she told me. "Even if you can get out of it, it will draw attention to your abilities and who your parents were. If they find out about your father, you could be killed."

I sighed. "I know. That was the only time I've ever used it," I explained. "I've already promised myself to only use it in the worst of situations."

She sighed and looked me in the eye, noticing the stubborn look in it. "I guess I can't argue with that," she replied.

I nodded as Hanataro caught up and Koharu slowed down to talk to Koharu.

"Good fight earlier, it was awesome!" Hanataro told me.

I struggled not to laugh. "She lost on purpose," I told him. "We both know that she's faster, more experienced, and better at Kido than me," I added. "She lost so that I would be more confident about my abilities."

He smiled slightly. "Oh, right."

When we reached the house, we discussed sleeping arrangements.

"I'm sorry, but the two of you aren't sharing a room while you're here," Koharu told us.

Haruka blushed slightly as I shook my head. "I wasn't planning on it," I told her. "Haruka can take my bed, and I'll sleep in here," I added, referring to the living room. "There'll be enough cushions lying around to make a bed of sorts," I explained.

She smiled. "Why am I not surprised that you already figured it out?" she asked.

I shrugged. "I'm just that awesome."

Haruka laughed as we spent a while to talk about school and life in general.

Over the next week, Haruka and I got new supplies, and trained more so that we could adapt to the higher level we were going to. I helped Haruka in her meditations with her Zanpakuto, although she still couldn't initiate a conversation with the spirit.

By the time that our next year of schooling started, we were fully prepared for what was to come over the next year.

* * *

**A/N: Hello everyone! Well, it seems that Takumi and Haruka have had a really eventful week!**

**Till next time!**

**~dicarten_ice**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Next Year

"Wow, that week passed quickly," Haruka commented during breakfast on our first day back.

I nodded as I checked my schedule. "What's your schedule like?" I asked her.

She shrugged as she checked her schedule. "I have Kido, followed by Hoho class, then Hakuda, Zanjutsu, and some general courses. You?"

I sighed as I looked over mine again. "Advanced Hakuda, then Advanced Kido, Advanced Hoho, Advanced Zanjutsu, and more advanced stuff," I replied. "This is going to be a busy year."

She nodded before we split for our classes.

"Hello, and welcome to Advanced Hakuda," the teacher told the class when we were all there. "Since we have students that have arrived from several different levels, I think that we should all introduce ourselves," she added.

So, we started introducing ourselves, starting with our names, then which level we elevated from. There were many that came from their fifth year, quite a few from their fourth, a few from their third, and me.

When it was my turn to introduce myself, I stood up and faced my class. "Hello. My name is Takumi Shimizu, and I am here from first level," I told them, causing a few laughs to spread.

"Hello, Takumi, it's nice to have you here," the teacher told me as I sat back down. "It's nice to see people reaching so far in such a quick amount of time."

"Yeah. What'd you do, bribe the teachers?" somebody snorted.

I glared at the person for a few seconds before turning back to the teacher, who began discussing the curriculum for the year.

"We will be doing something this year that you're not used to from the past," the teacher told us. "To ensure a more thorough education for all of you, this class will be split among the seven days of the week, as well as with every class you take. Each day, you will only have a single class, but it will be much more demanding than anything you've done before, as it will take up the entire time of all of your classes. There should be a slip of paper on each of your desks with a day written on it. That is the day you will have this class."

We did as she said, looking at our papers. According to the paper I had, I have the class on Wednesdays. Unfortunately, the first day of classes was a Tuesday, which meant that the next day, I had an entire day filled with Hakuda, my worst subject.

Our teacher spent the rest of the class explaining the general information we would cover over the year until a loud bell rang through the air, signaling the end of the class.

"I'll see some of you tomorrow!" the teacher told us as we went to our next class, Advanced Kido.

Over the day, I started to draw out my weekly schedule. Sundays, Tuesdays, and Fridays are General Classes, while Zanjutsu is Mondays, Hakuda is Wednesdays, Kido is Thursdays, and Hoho is Saturdays. The General Courses covered history, mathematics, science, and other random subjects that the specific classes didn't cover.

As the year went by this time, my mind was pushed to the limit by all the knowledge I was expected to absorb, so I wrote notes in every class as quickly as I could in case there was something I didn't remember. I quickly began to excel in Zanjutsu and Hoho as well as my general courses, I was near the top in Kido, but was in the middle of the class for Hakuda. I didn't make any friends, though, instead keeping to myself and hanging out with Haruka in our spare time. She was average in her classes, but I still helped her in her Zanjutsu class, which she continued to struggle in. I could tell after a month that she wasn't a fighter, instead doing better with her healing Kido, which she helped me with despite a difference in level in exchange for my assistance in her Zanjutsu.

As the year went by, classes became more and more vigorous until I spent all of my time either in my room, studying, or in the library to look up a term or read something we were assigned.

However, during this time, we were given a week off so that a select group of five of us could accompany the advanced first-year class to the World of the Living. I don't know how I managed it, but I was one of the five chosen for my overall performance in my classes.

The group we were to accompany was made up of roughly thirty students, and the five of us had to spend the week leading up to it learning how to do everything for the trip, from maintaining the barrier to keeping the peace between students. If anything were to go wrong, Captain Aizen and his lieutenant, Momo Hinamori, would be on standby. I wasn't very happy about the selection (I find Aizen to be kinda creepy), but I couldn't change it, so I went along with it.

"Alright," one of us told the first-years when we arrived at the World of the Living. "We're going to split you into groups of two. You are two perform two successful Konsos each and defeat all dummy Hollows you encounter. If anything seems off, contact one of us."

The students nodded, so we split them into pairs and let them go off on their adventures while we maintained the powerful Bakudo shield that prevents Hollows from detecting the large group of Reishi. Nothing happened of importance, though, most likely due to the larger group of older students that were maintaining the barrier. We managed to finish the training session in an hour, so we tracked down all the students in one place and opened the Senkaimon, where numerous Hell Butterflies appeared to accompany us back to the Soul Society.

"Did anything major happen?" Captain Aizen asked me, the leader of the group, when we got back.

I shook my head. "Nothing, Captain Aizen. It was completely silent out there," I replied as I stretched my back.

He nodded. "That's very good," he said before turning to the five of us that supervised. "Good job, all of you, for maintaining the barrier. Last year, Hollows managed to break the barriers and killed the older students maintaining it, as Takumi here knows very well," he said.

I nodded as he walked away to take care of other things, his lieutenant close behind.

Over the rest of the year, though, nothing much really happened at all. Classes remained as they always were (challenging), but I managed to survive and make it to the Recruitment Fair, where I saw someone that surprised me.

* * *

**A/N: Hello again, everyone! Sorry this is so much shorter than the rest, but I'll make sure to make things better in the following chapters.**

**Until next time!**

**~dicarten_ice**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Recruitment Fair

"I hate the fact that we have to go," Haruka groaned as we walked to the Fair, Akaguu curled around my neck. There were no classes that week so that we could study and attend the Recruitment Fair. It is mandatory for everyone in the top two years to go so that they can get applications for the Squads they wish to enter.

"Same here, but it's mandatory," I agreed. When we arrived at the area where the Fair is, though, there was a long line at the First Squad's booth.

"Captain Yamamoto must be here," I stated as we joined the line. "From what I've heard from other students in my classes, there are actually quite a few Captains and Lieutenants that show up for their booths on both the first and last of the ten year period."

She nodded. "Kinda makes sense," she replied. "Some just want to get it over with right away, and the rest just wait until the last second."

We waited in the line for about half an hour before reaching the front, where Head Captain Yamamoto was waiting.

"Hello again, Captain Yamamoto," I told him, bowing deeply before taking an application. Nobody ever gets in straight out of the Academy, but many try just to say they did, which was why I did.

He nodded when he saw me. "It has been many years since I have seen you, Takumi Shimizu. I wish you luck in the future," he told me.

I nodded and bowed again. "The same to you," I replied before waiting for Haruka. I walked straight past the second and third booths as I had no interest in them, but we stopped at the one for Fourth Squad, which Lieutenant Kotetsu was working that year.

"Hello, Takumi!" she said when she saw me.

I smiled and shook her hand. "Hello, Lieutenant Kotetsu," I replied. I thought for a few seconds before hesitantly picking up an application. Ever since Koharu adopted me, Kotetsu's wanted me to join Squad Four. Haruka also grabbed an application before we moved on to Fifth Squad, mainly just to be polite and say 'hello' to Aizen.

"Hello again, Takumi," Aizen said when he saw me.

I nodded to him as I picked up a flyer. "Hello, Captain Aizen," I replied before moving on. I've never figured out why, but something about his Spiritual Pressure, even when he contains it to a very slight presence, creeps me out. We continued to the Sixth Squad booth, where Captain Kuchiki was standing with his usual cold outward appearance.

"Hello, Captain Kuchiki," I said, bowing to him and making sure to be as formal as possible. He's a stickler for the rules, so I didn't want to make him angry.

He looked at me for a moment. "Hello, Takumi Shimizu. I assume you've been well?" he asked me.

I nodded. "I have, thank you," I replied. "And you?"

He nodded slightly. "I have been fine."

I grabbed an application for the squad before moving on. Captain Komamura was at his booth, so I said 'Hello' to him and took an application before moving on to Eight, where Captain Kyoraku was waiting.

"Hey there, Takumi!" he said when he saw me. He was wearing his usual pink and flowered kimono.

I smiled. "Hello, Captain Kyoraku," I replied. He's one of my favorite captains due to his laid-back attitude, which rivals Captain Shiba's.

He smiled as I picked up an application along with Haruka. "My, it seems you're applying to everywhere," he commented.

I nodded. "I want to make sure that I have plenty of options," I replied.

He nodded. "That's a good idea you've got there," he replied before we moved on. Captain Tosen was at his booth, but I just nodded at him before arriving at Squad Ten's booth, where a familiar head of white hair greeted me.

"Takumi," the boy growled when he saw me. He was sitting on a stool so that he was about as tall as me.

I smiled. "Sup, shorty?" I replied.

He scowled at me. "Show some respect to your superiors," he snapped.

"Um, mind introducing me?" Haruka asked me, staring at the boy.

I chuckled. "Haruka, this is the 3rd seat of Squad Ten, Toshiro Hitsugaya," I told her. "Toshiro, this is Haruka Ishikawa, a friend of mine."

Haruka nodded and shook his hand. "How old are you?" she asked him. "You're awfully young to be in the Thirteen Court Guard Squads."

He glared at her. "For your information, Lieutenant Kusajishi is much younger than me," he snapped.

I chuckled. "Yeah, yeah," I said as I picked up an application.

His face paled when he saw me grab the paper and add it to my stack. "Oh, please tell me you're not applying," he groaned.

I smiled but nodded. "Yup. Actually, Squad Ten is the one I plan on joining when I graduate at the end of this year," I replied.

As we turned to walk away, Haruka stopped me. "Why is it you two don't get along?" she asked me.

"We get along, but I like to mess with him quite a bit, so it's sparked a bit of a rivalry between us," I explained before I froze beside the Squad Eleven booth. I wasn't even going to stop unless the captain was there, but I saw another sight that stirred memories from years previously. A head of red hair.

"Hello, would you like a...wait, do I know you?" the guy asked me. He had grown quite a bit since I had last seen him, but a name was slow to surface.

I nodded. "Yeah, you know me," I replied. "You're Renji Abarai, right?"

He nodded hesitantly. "Yeah, how do you know me?" he asked me.

I smiled slightly. "Several years ago, you met a small boy with white hair named Takumi. He saved you guys from getting caught with water and candy," I told him.

He looked at me before the memory surfaced. "Whoa, Takumi? Takumi Shimizu?" he asked me. "It's been a while!" he said.

I nodded. "Yeah, it has," I replied. "How've you been?"

"Pretty good, thanks," he told me. "So, you're in the Academy now?" he asked. I nodded. "Are you interested in Squad Eleven?" he asked me.

I shook my head. "Nah, it's not quite my speed," I replied.

He shrugged. "Oh, well. I hope to see you in the future, though!" he told me.

I nodded and we walked straight to Squad Thirteen, which Captain Ukitake was working again.

"So, you decided to just get it over with this year?" I asked him.

He smiled guiltily. "Yeah. So, I heard that you've been elevated to your final year," he replied.

I nodded. "Yep. This is my last week here," I told him. "The test is in two days, and I plan to blow them all away with my skill."

He nodded. "I look forward to it. The entire panel of Captains is present for the testing of fifth- and sixth-years."

I smiled. "Cool, I can't wait," I replied as I picked up an application.

The next day, I spent the rest of the day and most of the next day filling out the applications and studying for my final test ever. The applications themselves were tests, though, so I felt very prepared for the final test.

* * *

**A/N: Hello again! Well, it seems that Takumi is about to take a very important test, wish him luck!**

**~dicarten_ice**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: The Final Exam

"Are you ready for this?" Koharu asked me the morning of the test. She and Hanataro took the day off for it to be with me, and my scheduled time for the test was in ten minutes.

I nodded. "Absolutely," I replied. "I've already heard back from every Squad I applied to, surprisingly."

She smiled. "And?"

I grinned. "I've been accepted to all of them except for First Squad, which I didn't expect to be accepted to," I replied.

She smiled wider and hugged me. "Congratulations, Takumi. Have you decided which Squad you're going to join?" she asked me.

I nodded. "I do, but I'll keep it a secret," I replied as my name was called.

"Good luck!" Hanataro yelled before the door closed behind me.

The first part of the test was a written exam, so I grabbed a writing utensil and answered every question as best as I could before handing in the test to a teacher assigned to making sure I didn't cheat.

In the next room I went to, a Hakuda teacher was waiting for me. Instead of engaging me in combat, she simply told me to demonstrate whichever attack she told me to. I did all of them perfectly, surprising myself, before she sent me to the next area, Kido.

"You are to use the most powerful Kido methods you know, using Hado, Bakudo, and healing Kido," the instructor told me.

I nodded and walked to a target range, using the Hado method I know with the highest number.

I held my Zanpakuto in front of me in its sheath, and left it to hover in place before I lightly tapped it. It began to rapidly spin, but I grabbed it after a few seconds and screamed, "Hado #58: Tenran!"

A whirlwind erupted from the blade, destroying the targets all at once. I boosted the attack with my own energy, so it also cracked the wall behind it.

"Now, Bakudo," the teacher told me, entering a fighting stance.

I hesitated before focusing myself. I had been working on this particular spell for a long time so that I could get a higher spell. "Bakudo #81: Danku!" I commanded, creating the barrier.

The teacher paused, stunned, before nodding and preparing an attack. "Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! On the wall of blue flame, inscribe a twin lotus. In the abyss of conflagration, wait at the far heavens. Hado #73: Soren Sokatsui!"

The blasts of energy collided with the barrier of energy to create a large explosion of smoke, but when it faded, the barrier wasn't even scratched.

The teacher nodded. "Impressive," he replied. "Now, healing."

I nodded, much more confident this time as I healed the Soul Reaper's leg. I was able to heal any damage caused by the broken bone, such as broken capillaries and injured muscle tissue.

"Wish me luck!" I then yelled as I ran on to the next room, which contained the Zanjutsu/Hoho section. I looked up and saw all 13 Captains looking at me.

"The first skill that you will demonstrate is your flashstep," Captain Yamamoto told me.

I nodded and bowed to them before using flashstep to go from one end of the 100-yard long arena to the other ten times in only a second. While I was at it, I created thirteen Speed Clones that waved to each Captain, then shook their hands before I stopped in the middle of the Arena.

"I must admit, he has great skill with flashstep," Captain Sui-Feng admitted. "I'm surprised that he didn't apply to join Squad Two, especially with his mother's history."

"I don't want to live off of the reputation of my mother," I replied.

She sneered at me but nodded as Captain Yamamoto stood. "You will now show us the full extent of your relationship with your Zanpakuto," he told me.

I grinned as I drew Hisan Taka. "Soar, Hisan Taka!" I roared. I became engulfed in a tornado, and when it faded, I was holding Hisan Taka's released form, the main blade in my right hand and the shorter blade in my left.

"He has been able to achieve Shikai for almost two years," I heard Captain Shiba whisper to Captain Yamamoto.

"Yes, but has he gotten better since then?" Yamamoto stated.

I chuckled as I sheathed the smaller blade and held the larger sword in both hands. I focused my Spiritual Pressure and my control over the wind, and used it so that I was moving more than two times faster than the previous year, startling every Captain as I created an army of Speed Clones that charged at the Captains, swords drawn, before they vanished and I reappeared as a single entity. I took a deep breath and swung my blade in a single arc. Instead of creating multiple, smaller tornadoes, I created a giant twister easily taller than the Arena we were in. I then gradually shrank it until it was in the palm of my hand, when I dismissed it.

"Is that all?" Captain Yamamoto asked me.

I shook my head. "Not quite," I replied. I gathered my energy again and sent a large wave of Umou Yaiba blades at targets. "That is all," I finished.

The Captains nodded in approval as a Soul Reaper walked onto the Arena. When we saw each other, though, we grinned.

"So, did you volunteer to fight me, Shorty?" I asked Toshiro as he drew his blade.

He growled at me before activating his Hyorinmaru. "Reign Over the Frosted Heavens, Hyorinmaru!" he commanded.

I watched as the blade of his Zanpakuto extended slightly, a hooked blade became attached to the end by a chain, and a large dragon made of ice sprouted from the end of his Zanpakuto.

"Oh, crap," I muttered. I'd never gone up against an Ice-type Zanpakuto, so I was screwed unless I could come up with a solution.

"What's wrong, in awe of my power?" Toshiro called over to me.

I shook my head. "Not at all, Shorty," I replied as I used my control over air to lift myself into the air.

He just narrowed his eyes as he leaped at me, slashing at me.

I parried the attack and threw my shorter blade, although he simply deflected it so that it returned directly to my hand. "You've gotten better since I last saw you spar," I told him as I focused my power. "Hisan Taka, Umou Yaiba!" I shouted as I launched numerous feathered blades at him.

"I swear I've seen an attack like that before," I heard Captain Kurotsuchi mutter from the bench.

I froze for a second, surprised by his comment before I ignored him and flew at Toshiro, attacking him repeatedly so that he couldn't get a chance to use his Shikai too much. He launched a dragon at me, though, making me flee a dozen yards backward.

I focused on him for a few minutes, figuring out how to beat him, when I felt something cold land on my cheek, alerting me to Hyorinmaru's special ability, allowing him to control the weather. I cursed at this, realizing that it allows him to use his most powerful, and deadly, attack.

Toshiro grinned when he saw my look of despair. "That's right," he said as a hole appeared in the clouds. "Hyoten Hyakkaso!" he yelled.

Once he finished speaking, snowflakes began falling from the sky. "I believe you know this ability," he told me. "I suggest you do your best to avoid the snowflakes," he added as a snowflake landed on my arm, forming a large flower made of ice.

I sneered at him and did my best to avoid the snowflakes, including by using my influence over the wind, but they weren't even swayed from their path.

I was moments away from surrendering and avoiding imminent death when I felt my instincts take over. I couldn't stop myself as I returned Hisan Taka to its sealed form and my three Quincy Pendants glowed a bright enough blue that got the attention of every Captain.

'Stop!' I screamed inside my head. 'They'll find out!'

'I will not let you lose this easily,' I heard Hisan Taka tell me as I formed a large Quincy bow in my left hand.

"The boy! He's a Quincy!" Kurotsuchi screamed as Hisan Taka made me shoot down every snowflake before it could come within ten yards of me.

This continued for a minute before they all disappeared and Hisan Taka gave up his control over me.

"Aw, crap," I muttered as the Captains surrounded me.

"How long did you think you could fool us, Takumi Shimizu?" Captain Yamamoto demanded. "Quincies are our sworn enemies!"

I sighed. "I apologize for this, Captain Yamamoto," I told him. "If you will give me but ten minutes, I can explain everything about this."

"He-" Kurotsuchi was about to say more when Captain Zaraki clamped a hand over it mouth. "Let the boy speak. I would like to hear what he has to say," Zaraki said.

Yamamoto nodded. "Explain yourself, boy," he told me.

I bowed. "Thank you," I replied. "I did not choose these powers," I began. "As you know, my mother was a Soul Reaper, the Eighth Seat of Squad Two. My father, though, was a Quincy..." I told them my entire story, from my family background up until present.

They paused, thinking about it for another ten minutes, which just made me more and more anxious.

After a tenth minute, they used flashstep to go a long distance away where they couldn't be overheard. I used the time to meditate with Hisan Taka, quickly entering my Inner World.

"Why the hell did you do that?" I screamed at him when he appeared in front of me.

"I did not wish for you to lose the battle," he explained like it was the simplest thing in the world.

"I didn't want to lose, but I wasn't willing to risk my life for this!" I told him. "Soul Reapers despise Quincies! They almost killed me right then, and they would've if I hadn't managed to talk them into considering letting me live!"

He sighed. "Okay, I understand and apologize," he replied. "I should've thought it out before acting, and I apologize for it."

I nodded as I stood up from my pillar. "It's fine," I told him before I sensed a presence, so I left my Inner World to find the Captains gathered around me.

"Gah!" I screamed lightly as I bolted to my feet, bowing to them all.

"We have come to a decision," Captain Kurotsuchi said regretfully, which gave me hope.

"We will allow you to live on the condition that you refrain from using your Quincy abilities, don't tell anybody of them, and tell us everything you know about the Quincies," Captain Yamamoto told me.

I sighed out of relief. "Thank you so much, you will not regret this," I told them.

They nodded and I was about to reveal the book I learned from when I saw the smile beginning to form on Kurotsuchi's face. "I will tell you everything I know, but I will give the information only to Captain Yamamoto," I told them.

"Why do you say that?" Kurotsuchi demanded.

I glared at him. "Because, I don't trust you, and I haven't since I learned about everything that you've done to Quincies that you've captured," I snapped at him before I turned back to Captain Yamamoto. "I will write down everything I have learned and give it to you by graduation, one week from now," I told him. "Again, thank you for giving me a chance."

They nodded. "Just don't let us down," they said before all but Captains Shiba and Unohana left.

"Takumi..." Captain Unohana began.

"I'm sorry, but I kept it a secret out from fear of the consequences," I explained to her.

She sighed and nodded before leaving as well, leaving Captain Shiba and I. When I turned toward him, though, he had a grin on his face. "I'm surprised that they didn't figure it out sooner," he stated.

I staggered backward, caught by surprise. "Y-you knew?" I stuttered.

He laughed. "Of course! I figured it out the moment I saw your Shikai attack a year ago!" he told me. "It didn't take long to figure it out. Anyways, I stayed behind to inform you that you passed your test. Now, I suggest you return to your room and get writing."

I nodded and returned to where Koharu and Hanataro were waiting for me.

"I passed," I told them simply when they saw me.

"Yay!" Hanataro yelled as they hugged me and Akaguu jumped onto my head.

I chuckled and hugged them before they released me.

"We need to get stuff ready for you to move out of our room," Koharu stated.

I nodded as I started to walk back to my room. "I'll take care of it," I told them. "I have some personal affairs to attend to, and it'll take me a while."

Her eyes filled with confusion, but she nodded before I used flashstep to go straight to my room, where I locked the door and pulled out a thick pile of paper and a lot of writing utensils. I turned to the first page of the book I got from Sokken Ishida and began copying it down the best I could while keeping it as small and readable as possible.

I spent the following six days copying down everything in the book, which included sections I hadn't reached, including the Quincy version of flashstep, known as Hirenkyaku. I only paused to use the bathroom because I used my abnormally high spiritual energy in place of sleep and food, allowing me to stay awake for six days straight. The only time I stopped was to get more writing utensils when I ran out, and even then I did it as quickly as possible.

At the end of the sixth day, I had just finished copying it all down at midnight, exactly thirty-six hours before graduation.

As I bound the pages together and put covers on it, signing the title page with my name. I hid the original book in a large luggage bag in the middle of a pile of clothes, and made sure that I was completely packed before collapsing on my bed into a deep sleep that was interrupted eight hours later by loud screaming.

"Takumi, open this door!" I heard the voice scream. I was surprised in general that it managed to wake me, then I started to recognize the voice as Haruka's. She sounded like she had been beating at the door for several minutes, although she couldn't break through due to a Bakudo seal I placed over it so that I wouldn't be disturbed.

"I'm coming," I muttered as I got out of bed and removed the seal, opening the door and looking out drearily less than a second before she released a Shakkaho at the door, although it hit me instead.

"Ow!" I groaned as I exerted the little pressure I had left to repel the attack. I used up almost all of it to keep myself going the entire time that I was writing.

"Oh, Takumi! I'm so sorry!" she told me as she rushed to my side, looking me over for any injuries.

"I'm fine, just tired," I mumbled, sitting on my bed. "What's up?" I asked her as my eyes started to close again.

She ran to my side and shook me to keep me awake, looking into my eyes. "When was the last time you slept?" she asked me.

"You mean, before you woke me up?"

She nodded. "Yeah," she replied.

I shrugged, my mind clouded from drowsiness. "Um...six days, maybe?" I muttered.

She sighed. "Why would you stay awake so long?" she asked me.

"Secret...book...can't tell," I muttered, pointing to the book on my desk.

She frowned as she walked to the desk. She tried to grab the book, but a barrier I erected around it kept her from getting within a foot of it.

"Can't...touch..." I muttered, standing up and gathering my energy so that I could wake up more. "Need to...sleep...you should...leave," I muttered, trying to use my remaining energy to get her to leave, although my dwindling energy supplies ran out halfway to the door, causing me to collapse in her arms.

The next time I woke up, light was just beginning to stream in through the window, and I could sense a presence next to me, and it wasn't Akaguu.

The moment that those facts registered in my head, I shot out of bed, landing beside the book. I looked around and realized that Haruka had been lying next to me, deeply asleep. She must have been making sure I was okay while I slept. I just chuckled and checked the time: seven o'clock in the morning. I must have slept the entire day away.

I got dressed after that and undid the barrier over the book, preparing to find Captain Yamamoto so that I could give it to him. I was just about to open the door when somebody knocked on it.

"Hello?" I asked as I opened the door, until I saw First Squad Lieutenant Chojiro Sasakibe outside the door.

"Takumi Shimizu, my Captain has sent me to see if you have finished the manuscript you promised," he told me.

I nodded and handed him the book. "Protect it, and make sure that only Captain Yamamoto reads it, as per the agreement we set," I told him.

He nodded before disappearing, most likely returning to Yamamoto's office, so I gently woke Haruka.

"We need to get something to eat," I told her when she woke up.

She nodded sleepily before jolting up, completely alert. "We're graduating today!" she declared.

I nodded. "So, I'll take that to mean you're graduating as well?" I asked her.

She nodded, a grin wide on her face as she got dressed in her own room and we walked to the cafeteria. "I can't believe that, only two years ago, we were starting our time here at the Academy, and now we're graduating," she stated.

I nodded as I piled food onto my plate. My energy was almost fully replenished, but I was still hungry. Very hungry.

We devoured our food as quickly as possible before we were told to report to a specific office where we were to be given instructions for graduation. We raced each other there, and when we arrived the woman in charge glared at us.

"Ah, so you've finally arrived," she snapped. "Since the two of you applied to so many Squads, I need your decision on which Squad each of you will be joining."

I automatically said "Ten" the same time that Haruka said "Four", causing us to freeze and look at each other.

"Well, it looks like we'll be going our separate ways," I said quietly.

She laughed. "Hey, you can't get rid of me that easily," she replied as the woman wrote down our decisions and handed each of us robes with the insignias for each of our chosen Squads on them. "We can still hang out in our free time."

"The ceremony begins precisely at noon, but you need to be on the front steps of the Academy at eleven to prepare," she told us. "Before that time, you are expected to be completely moved out of your rooms. Storage is supplied until you can move into your room at your chosen Squads, and the location of that storage is on a paper in your new uniforms," she added.

We both bowed to her before walking out. We returned to our rooms and changed into our new uniforms. As I attached my Zanpakuto to my sash, I noticed the stark contrast of the white sheath and hilt against the black robes, but I thought it just made myself stand out more, which I didn't mind.

As I checked the location of the storage we could use, I memorized the location before packing all of my things. Our old uniforms would be reused, so I left them in my room as Akaguu jumped onto my shoulder while I made sure I had everything, searching every nook and cranny until I was finally satisfied, when I picked up my things and walked out the same moment that Haruka did.

"Wanna come with me?" I asked her. She nodded so we walked together to the storage area. There, we wrote our names down on tags and attached them to our things. We placed protective Bakudo over them before walking around the Academy grounds, enjoying the cherry blossoms on the trees as we walked numerous trails, finally returning to the front steps of the Academy a minute before eleven o'clock.

"Names?" a member of the staff asked us, checking a list.

We gave him our names and he pointed us to different places in a long line of students. She was in the upper half due to her last name, and I was closer to the end because of mine.

"During the ceremony, the Head Captain will call your name and the Squad you will be assigned to," another member of the staff yelled so that all of us could hear. "When he does so, you will walk up to him, bow, accept your diploma, and go to your seat to the left until all of the names are called, at which time you will all rise and bow again before you are dismissed. Then, you will have a day to report to your Squad Barracks, where you will receive further orders. ARE WE CLEAR!" she screamed at the end.

"YES, MA'AM!" we screamed back, loud enough that she toppled backwards.

We spent the next hour or so talking amongst ourselves and getting drinks, for it was a hot day out and the black uniforms did nothing to help.

At noon, though, we took our places for graduation.

* * *

**A/N: Hello again, everyone! Yay, Takumi passed his exam! All's good in his world! Yaaaaaay!**

**Anyway, I hope all of you have had a wonderful winter break. Today's my last day of break, as I go back to college tomorrow, so with me luck!**

**Till next time!**

**~dicarten_ice**


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